Seraphim
by Angelbaby1231
Summary: Eve St. James AKA Seraphim conducts missions as a communication's specialist within the newly rebuilt SHIELD. Her main objective: Captain Steve Rogers. Captain Rogers wants nothing more than to meet the woman who has been with him since he was woken from the ice and outstanding circumstances throw them together. Can they trust one another? Is this love, Captain? Cap/OC Slight AU
1. The Mission

**So, I realize that the explanation kind of sucks, but this is a Cap/OC story that revolves around my OC, Evangeline St. James, and her relationship with Captain Steve Rogers. Includes Maria Hill, Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes, and a whole slew of other familiar characters that I don't own.**

 **All rights around anything that's familiar got to their owners. Mostly Marvel.**

 **Give it a chance and see what you think. I'll be updating fairly soon and I apologize if you're a fan of my other story, Avenging Angel. As you can tell, plot bunnies got stuck in my head and I had to get them out. Hopefully I'll be able to return to updating Avenging Angel soon.**

 **Thank you and all reviews and favorites are appreciated!**

"I'm going to need you to get the hell up, Cap. There's no way to get a team in to save your ass and you need to get out of there. Like, right now." Eve barked into her headpiece, the images from Captain Rogers' latest disaster of a mission flashing past her on the largest screen in the darkened viewing room. There were only two other analysts in the room with her, neither allowed to say a word while the coms were live. Eve was the only thing keeping the Captain alive and moving at the moment, the only person he could hear while he was working on destroying yet another HYDRA base in the middle of nowhere. The volume was turned almost all the way down to keep the coms unit hidden from any curious parties, but the Captain's hearing was so advanced that it didn't matter.

Her best friend and assistant, Nova Maddox, blew up an aerial view of the rubble the Captain was currently buried under, the dust and dirt settling until she could make out the shifting of concrete blocks in the midst of the disaster. Even after the ceiling of the building collapsed on him, he was going to get up. He had to, she wasn't about to allow him to give up after so long fighting.

"There are three HYDRA agents on their way to you, the Widow is waiting with an evac a mile out. You can do this. I've seen you do better." She reminded him cautiously, wincing herself when he managed to fling a chunk of building as big as she was off of his chest. The star right in the middle of the uniform shone in the late afternoon light as he took a deep breath, coughing out the dust from his lungs.

"You do care." Came crackling through the static on the line. It was a small miracle that the coms unit Nova had come up with was still working considering the damage both the coms and the Captain had taken over the course of the mission. There was a pained grunt and the Captain shifted his weight, pushing up to a kneeling position in the midst of the rubble. Eve stood up out of her own chair, planting her hands firmly on her desk right around the keyboard to her computer, staring holes into the image of him on the screen. He groaned as he got his feet under him, his back bowed and his breathing turning to ragged pants. His large hands found purchase against the large bricks of rubble, his entire body tensing like a bow string being drawn. His shoulders were scrunched up to nearly brush his ears and he slowly straightened up, fingers clenching into tight fists.

"Of course I care, stupid. Now get your ass in gear, Captain. Your shield is to your right, embedded in what remains of the wall there. You're going to need it. Three agents are coming from the North exit so your best escape route is…" Eve turned to look at her other analyst, a guy named Lewis Jacobson. He'd been a specialist before he'd been transferred onto her team after a mission gone wrong. She wasn't sure what she would do without his expertise and wasn't keen on finding out. He motioned to a hole in the wall that had been the South window on the building. The window had opened into an alley with a dumpster right below, a soft landing for the injured Captain. "what's left of the window behind you. There's a fifty foot drop into a dumpster, but it'll make a soft enough landing for you. As long as you get out of there, you'll probably be the only one to survive the fall."

"You're so good to me." He teased gently, even as he went against her instructions and turned to the opposite entrance.

"You're not going to listen to me, are you?" Eve muttered to herself, muting her coms with a deep sigh before she started calling out new orders to her team. "Get me a medical staff on standby, I want the Widow prepped for takeoff as soon as he gets his ass down there. Lewis, find me an alternate route out of there just in case. Nova, find out where the hell the other half of Strike Team: Delta is and tell him I want his ass on a platter for abandoning the mission. Get me a direct link to Hill, I want this all documented and I want disciplinary action as soon as we get them home! We're bringing them all home, come hell or high water. It's going to be another long night."

Turning back to her own screens and unmuting her comes, Eve watched as the Captain yanked his shield out of the wall with brute force, turning to square off against three HYDRA agents. The one on the far left was almost as big as the Captain himself and Eve sucked in a deep, calming breath, knowing she couldn't let her concern show. She was supposed to help him remember what he was capable of and get him home safe. Freaking out about who he was fighting would come later, when they were all stateside and in medical.

The man on the left, a short little man with a compact build, whipped out a cattle prod, a shiver running up Eve's spine as she ran a soft finger against her own side, where she'd been attacked with one. The cattle prods hurt like a bitch and HYDRA agents sure knew how to wield the damn things for maximum pain. Various missions and safe houses had been compromised when SHIELD had fallen and Eve hadn't been immune to the ramifications. Many good agents had been lost because of the information dump. Eve was one of the only ones who didn't blame the entire debacle on Captain Rogers or the Avengers.

"Cap, this isn't one of your best ideas. In fact, this might be in the running for the worst." Eve kept her voice calm and soothing, watching closely as one of the HYDRA team attacked, swinging a fist at the Captain like a moron. If they were all as stupid as that one, it could prove to be a fairly stable idea. However, the Captain had already been shot twice and quite literally beaten into the ground, not to mention the three floors of the building that had landed on his head not ten minutes ago. If he wasn't a little more careful, Eve would have to send the Widow in and no one wanted that. Especially not the Captain.

"Do I…. ever have… good ideas?" The Captain's rough voice bit out as he pummeled the man who attacked him. He did have a point. Most of his ideas were incredibly terrible and Eve had to explain why he managed to pull them off right under her nose to Maria Hill, who almost always burst into laughter by the end of Eve's colorful reports. The only good news about his repeated stupidity was that Eve avoided getting court marshalled when he went off track because it was to be expected at this point.

"Honestly? No. So maybe you should listen to me this time and get out that goddamned window before I come through this microphone and beat you with it." She threatened, knowing it would only prove to amuse the super solider. His warm chuckle brought a small tilt to her lips as he threw the second HYDRA agent out the huge hole in the west wall, sending him right down to the unforgiving concrete below.

"I'll be out in a minute. Hold your horses, would ya?" He complained good-naturedly, grabbing the two remaining agents and smashing their heads together with little to no remorse. Yanking them back, he threw them into separate piles of debris, reaching for his shield as if he hadn't just blown her mission wide open once again. Once his shield was secure, he took a running jump at the window she'd wanted him out of originally, shield stretched out before him. The collision crumbled the rest of the wall, sending him falling with a cloud of dust before he slammed into the dumpster just as she said he would. Eve winced when he landed, but he just rolled to his feet and jumped out of the dumpster without really breaking stride, the only sign of the beating he'd taken a small limp and the sweat and blood that matted his hair. "Are you happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Eve bit out, letting her dry voice betray her annoyance. Muting her coms again, she shouted out a new set of orders. "Lewis, I want full coverage of any street he could possibly go down. You know how he is, get me aerial views of the entire city. Nova, get me names. I want to know who those assholes are and how they knew we were coming. I don't care whose databases you have to access to find out. Names, addresses, credit card numbers, I want it all. And Lewis, make sure that the Widow is granted access to restricted airspace. Two alternate routes, if necessary."

The room burst into motion as her team went to work doing as she asked, her own fingers tapping away at her keyboard as she flipped her coms on again. Eve watched from a distance as the Captain ran down one street after another, one hand pressed firmly into his side. He'd been grazed by a bullet and she felt a flicker of remorse for yelling at him when he was so obviously hurt. Too bad the Captain didn't respond any other way. He ignored most of what anyone said to him on the coms and she'd been his communication's specialist for the majority of his missions in the last five years. The fact that he still didn't listen to her had little to do with her as it did to do with his inability to follow a goddamned plan. He knew she had his best interest at heart, but he still insisted on breaking protocol and tempting death whenever he was out in the field.

There was a reason no one else would work with him anymore.

"Next intersection, take a left." Eve ordered, watching as he nodded slightly. He had no way to know if she could see him, but it was pretty obvious by that point that he didn't particularly care if she knew he would do what she wanted. She made no comment on that subject when he actually did turn, too relieved to come up with a smart ass remark. "You're going to come up on a three way intersection, keep going straight until you hit the dead end. You'll want to make a right there."

"Given that you've been mission control for me since I woke up, when do I actually get to meet you again?" The Captain had met her before. A few times, actually, not that he knew that. Or remember, she was sure. There wasn't much to see when it came to Evangeline St. James. She'd tried to tell him that more often than not, but he refused to listen to that either. They'd been arguing about meeting since her second mission with him. It came up no matter how much danger he was in or how injured he was. She was just lucky that she had a codename and hadn't blurted out her real name at any point in their meetings because he would find her if he had enough information.

He only knew her as Seraphim. Seraphim were the highest tier of angels in Christianity and it was an ongoing joke that ran with her name. After all, Evangeline literally had the word Angel in it. Nick had had a field day the moment he'd found out what her new code name was and Maria had snorted a milkshake out her nose. Eve herself had threatened to run the man who had given it to her, Greg Maddox, into a wall with his car after he'd spouted off the ridiculous nickname. It had, sadly, stuck.

"When you finally actually listen to what I tell you to do instead of going completely off the books." Eve informed the Captain clinically, checking the time on one of her open screens. She also switched her main screen to the Widow, who was sitting in the quinjet, her feet kicked up on the dash with some Russian ballet music blasting through the speakers. Obviously, she wasn't too worried that the Captain was over twenty minutes late for the rendezvous.

"I do listen. Just not the way you want me to." Eve switched back to the view of the Captain right as he took the turn she'd told him to. She typed out a quick message to the Widow to let her know that she was going to be up soon and the music in the quinjet fell silent. The serious woman who kicked major ass came back into play, her hands flying over the buttons and various controls of the plane so that it would be ready to take off as soon as the Captain made his appearance.

"You don't. Ever. Remember Botswana?" Eve asked distractedly. A quick message was typed out to Maria to let her know there was a serious ass chewing coming her way as well as a filed complaint against the Hawk, which was nothing new. She sent him a quick message as well, effectively chewing him out while informing him that she wanted contact as soon as he got the message. It was hard to get someone to pin the Hawk down no matter if he was on her mission or not because she was insistent on not meeting with the people she ran missions for. If they knew who she was, it would ruin their easy going banter in the field and compromise her objectivity.

"I listened to you!" The Captain complained, sliding into a wall as he took the turn at too high a speed. Eve snorted as she watched him attempt to regain his balance, fighting back a laugh when he almost fell over. He was off again without too much trouble, looking kind of like a cartoon character to her.

"Twenty feet, take a hard left and the quinjet will be in sight. And you went in when I told you not to, got blown up, and were in medical for a week and a half with a punctured lung." Eve reminded him. The Captain winced visibly at her sharp retort while Nova and Lewis snickered in the background, obviously enjoying the banter. Neither of them had spoken to him since Nova had taken over his coms for almost four months while Eve was in medical after the DC incident.

Apparently, Captain Rogers could be worse than he was on a normal basis with her. He'd almost gotten ten SHIELD agents killed before they'd finally wheeled Eve out of medical against the recommendations of her doctors to take over mission control and calm him down enough so he wouldn't jump into a burning building without his shield. He'd been almost subdued in the weeks after she was officially back as his communication's specialist, as if he could sense that she hadn't been at one hundred percent.

"And you didn't even visit me." The Captain complained as he turned onto the street holding the quinjet. Eve let out a relieved sigh as he ran through the doors, losing sight of him until Lewis changed the camera views to those within the quinjet. Eve switched her coms to talk to the entire jet, not too concerned about being heard by both of them.

There was a very good chance that Natasha Romanoff already knew who she was, not just her codename but her entire back story as well. The Black Widow didn't work under people she didn't know or trust and it was too much to ask of her to leave Eve's private life just that. Private. It was a little concerning to know that the assassin knew everything she could about her, but Eve tried to think of it as a good thing. At least she wasn't dead yet.

"You don't know that. You were unconscious for four days." Eve reminded the man as he dropped his shield against the wall and slumped into a seat. "Bring him home safe, Widow. And beat the Hawk up for me next time you see him."

Eve kept her voice convincingly light, even though she meant every word. She had visited the Captain as soon as he got stateside after Botswana, checking in on his health whenever she got the chance. She'd even left flowers at some point, not that he knew that. She wasn't a sign the card kind of gal. But she was someone who cared deeply about her agents and she would do the same for the Widow and the Hawk, though the Hawk tended to get more strongly worded letters than flowers. The Hawk always brought home strays and went off missions if he thought his moral standing was above her mission parameters, leaving her to clean up the messes he brought home with him. There was a reason he was the most written up agent in SHIELD history before the collapse.

"Will do, Seraphim." The Widow nodded towards the camera they were currently using to view the quinjet through and Eve felt herself relax into a small smile, dropping back into her desk chair for a deep, calming breath. Her tense muscles relaxed just a fraction as the adrenaline started to drain from her system. Missions like this one always shot her stress through the roof. She was always high strung when it came to the people she cared about being on dangerous missions. They're teams were predetermined and Eve hated when they split the Captain and the Widow up because they were her main objective. Strike Team: Delta was her other main team, though they worked together without coms a lot. The only difference between them was that she was Cap's primary communication's specialist and she could yell at him without fearing for her life. Yelling at the Widow or the Hawk always came with the fine printed chance of retaliation.

"Where did the Hawk get off to anyway?" The Captain asked open air, obviously talking to anyone who could give him an answer. Eve glanced at Nova, not surprised to see that she was tapping away furiously at her computer. Eve waited while the other woman worked, pressing her fingertips into her temples as a headache started to form from the lack of caffeine and/or adrenaline powering her. The Captain could go for days without sleep, he was enhanced enough that he had been running for the last thirteen hours and fifty three minutes straight, not to mention two days of recon before that. Eve wasn't enhanced by a secret super soldier serum and had been keeping herself going by pure adrenaline and about three gallons of coffee that was dropped off whenever she had a moment to take a sip.

"Looks like he's on his way back home. I'll contact him for you." Nova murmured in a low voice, making sure that she didn't pick up on the coms. The Captain hadn't been very impressed with Nova's communication's style when she'd run his missions for those few months. She was careful not to talk to him afterwards, no longer a huge fan of the man Eve got along with so well.

"Looks like he's being a dick." Eve informed the Widow and the Captain, the Widow letting out a smile at the assertion. The Captain laughed, groaning when it hurt him to do so. "He's alive, though, so that's good. I guess."

"Switching you over to the Hawk com link." Nova informed her, switching the feed on the big screen to the camera on the Hawk's vest. He was definitely in a car going somewhere, a nice one by the looks of the extensive leather interior and manual stick shift.

"Want to explain where the hell you went?" Eve snapped into his ear, gratified when he jumped at the sudden noise. She'd expected that much at least, since she didn't usually talk to him when he wasn't active. He was supposed to be active at the moment, which meant that she was more than willing to yell at him for leaving Cap and Widow on their own in the middle of a HYDRA mine field.

"I was stationed as a sniper, Seraphim. I sniped. Then I got the hell out of there, like you told me to." He sounded gruff and Eve let herself sympathize for a moment. The building he'd been on had been blown up. Obviously, he hadn't still been on it when it happened or they wouldn't even be having this conversation, but it was probably painful to be so close to that sort of thing.

"How bad are your injuries?" Eve asked, motioning for Lewis to get to work on contacting the right people. She sat up and started typing into her own computer, attempting to find the closest safe house to his position that hadn't been compromised in the internet leak. She'd need a med team close by as well and that was trickier than it had been two years ago.

"I'm perfectly fine." The Hawk lied. Eve could have figured it out without seeing his vitals flashing across the screen in front of her, staggering and jumping. The Captain's were fairly stable for being shot twice, but he was a super soldier with advanced healing and advanced durability. The Hawk was a normal man and he would need professional help before he could get to the Tower. He was probably losing a lot of blood and she had a limited time frame to get him to a safe house before he decided to take care of it himself. It only got worse if he did something like that.

"Found one!" Nova spun in her chair, sending Eve the files on the house she'd found that he could go to. Eve grinned when she realized the other woman was pulling out a specialized joy stick and taking over the Hawk's car's GPS and navigation system, driving him to the safe house herself through her own patented handheld device.

"Did you just fucking take over my car?!" The Hawk yelped in her ear, his nice Ford taking off into the distance.

"It's not my fault you decided to take a smart car, Hawk. You're being directed to a safe house with a med team already on standby. You even try to make a run for it and I'll make sure your life is hell for the next week at least. You know I have that power." Eve threatened, thinking of all the ways she could make him suffer. First and foremost, she'd take away his shooting range clearance. "Besides, I'm not the only one who isn't happy with you. The Widow is pretty annoyed that you missed the planned evac."

"I hate you all." The Hawk informed her brusquely, his car whipping around and speeding him towards the safe house Nova had found.

"Contact HQ when you're patched up and someone will come pick you up. Talk to you later, Hawk Man." Eve held up a hand to stop Nova from switching the feed, already knowing what was coming.

"Let Widow know I'm alive, Seraphim. And thanks." The last part was muttered almost too low to hear, but Eve could make out the words and felt an odd bit of affection for the difficult Hawk. He was just as much as pain in her ass as the Captain, though with a little less insistence on meeting her. Either way, she'd grown fond of all of her agents over the last five years and she smiled at the view as he leaned back a little, trying to get comfortable.

"I'll let them know you're going to be alright, Hawk. Get home safe." With that, she motioned to switch feeds, the quinjet splashing across the large screen.

"You know, you're scarily good with them." Nova offered, still driving the Hawk's car. She was two years younger than Evangeline, who was twenty seven, and was one of the best mechanics that Eve had ever worked with. They'd been together since the academy and got along fantastically. Nova was her roommate on one of the SHIELD designated floors of the Avengers Tower, both of them unfailingly loyal to the company that had saved their lives.

"You really are. Maybe you should be their leader." Lewis quipped, pulling up any good camera angles he could before deleting the evidence of their involvement in the takedown while simultaneously capitalizing on the good shots of the Captain fighting in his uniform. Lewis would sift through it all in the next few days and send the good shots to the PR rep, who would probably send them to magazines for good publicity. It was the same routine, different day.

Eve's work mates had each taken lunch breaks and two other short breaks each to shower, eat, and caffeinate, taking turns to run to the bathroom at different points in the mission. Eve had left the room twice for bathroom breaks and that was it, intent on staying on the coms and ensuring that the Captain did as he was told. Both of the other members of her team were phenomenal and she adored working with them, but the Captain was her responsibility, first and foremost. Even the other Avengers sometimes took a back burner.

"I haven't actually officially met any of them. I'm just their communication's specialist." Eve reminded the two, grimacing at her title. Something had to be written in the books and that was the best they'd been able to come up with for the title of her job.

"They would literally kill to meet you." Nova reminded her. The other woman wasn't wrong. The Captain had threatened a few times to have the Widow find her so they could meet face to face. Apparently, he thought of her as a close friends. She figured it had to do with keeping him alive and didn't think too much about it. Eve had no super powers, she was completely normal. Just a tech that had worked her way up the latter. The superheroes she worked with had much better things to do than track her down.

"Compartmentalization, my friends. I'm not allowed to meet them, they aren't allowed to meet me. Now, get the Hawk home safe and you're dismissed, Nova. Lewis, once you're finished with the wipe, you're free to go as well." Eve let out her last order, unmuting her coms and curling up like a cat in the comfortable chair she'd bought for long missions. Her back ached from keeping rigid for so long and she sighed in content when the Captain and the Widow's voices reached her ears. She listened to the low hum of their conversation, knowing that they both were aware she was listening, they had worked with her long enough to know that she wouldn't get off coms until they were back home, safe and sound. They were smart about their conversations and kept to topics they didn't care if she heard. Listening to the low hum of their voices helped calm her down immensely, the panic from the mission slowly melting away.

Lewis left after another fifteen minutes of wiping the different cameras and Nova got up about a half hour after. She scrounged up a blanket from under her desk and tucked it around Eve, who blinked wearily at her best friend, offering her a small smile. Nova just squeezed her shoulder and pressed a kiss into her wild curls before leaving the room, flicking the lights off as she went. The low lighting of the monitors were the only lights left on. Eve peeked every once and a while at the screens displaying the quinjet, watching the two agents she'd helped bring home talk to one another.

The hum of their voices lulled her into a sense of security and there she stayed until they were safely home.


	2. Not Getting Any Younger

**Hello all! Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate every review and follow. Here's the second chapter, the introduction of Maria Hill, and a surprise. Hope everyone likes it! I don't really have a posting schedule, but I'm planning on posting every few days, so let me know what you think!**

"You know you can't avoid them forever. I don't know why you bother to try. It's not like they're going to back off anytime soon." Maria Hill complained for the hundredth time as they walked through the halls of the Avengers Tower together, towards the elevator that would take them back to their own floor. The morning meetings had gotten over quickly enough and Maria had insisted on a coffee break before they went back to the office. Eve had simply agreed because she didn't want to have the argument they were currently engaged in, one she was hoping she could avoid if she just put off getting into a small, enclosed place with Maria for a little longer.

Making a face, Eve took a sip of the Frappuccino she'd ordered from the coffee shop down the street. They had the best coffee in town, not to mention the divine blue berry muffins. The soft vanilla flavor was sweet on her tongue and she sighed a little when the elevator came into view. Maria was dead set on her introducing herself to Natasha Romanoff or Captain Steve Rogers at some point in time, sooner rather than later. Even Clint Barton was an option when he wasn't being too much of an ass.

Eve was just happy they had all gotten home at relatively the same time in the early morning so she didn't have to try and track anyone down again. The Captain had been contained to medical for the time being and the Hawk was right there with him, sporting some serious burns from the explosion. She'd walked past the rooms they were in before work just to peek in, gratified when they'd both been knocked out by pain medicine. Explaining her presence away would have been a mess she couldn't afford.

"I can certainly try to avoid them. Besides, it's not like I'm actively trying not to see them. I went and talked to the doc this morning." She reminded her friend. She'd wanted to make sure that the boys were going to be okay and ensure that the Widow had gotten looked at as well. She hadn't had a building collapse on her, but she'd taken a beating as well. As much as Eve tried not to worry too much about her agents, she tended to mother them whenever they weren't looking.

Maria just snorted and rolled her eyes at the reminder, obviously not impressed with that answer. While Eve could issue orders over the coms like a regular Nick Fury, she had a harder time being so open in real life. And meeting the Avengers was definitely a big step, even if she'd worked with them for long enough to know that she wasn't going to go anywhere.

"They're not going to take you any differently in real life than they would over the coms. Come on, you've saved their lives more times than almost anyone else. And, if you don't introduce yourself soon, I'm pretty sure that Natasha is going to come and find you herself. Steve won't shut up about meeting you and she's getting antsy." Maria offered, taking a sip of her own drink.

Maria had been a steady friend since Eve had started her training on the coms when she was twenty years old. Being women in a male profession sort of drew them to one another, especially when Maria was promoted to Nick's second in command the year after. A lot of people had questioned the organization at that point, as if Maria wasn't the most loyal SHIELD agent that Eve had ever met. Eve herself hadn't had any doubts and that had started out a rapidly growing friendship until Eve wasn't just a communication's specialist, but also one of Maria's most trusted advisors.

"I'm pretty sure that the Widow already knows who I am. I'm under no impression that she would trust me with her life if she didn't already know everything there is to know about me. As for the Captain, I'm pretty sure he'll be perfectly fine not knowing my real name or what I look like." Eve reminded the older woman. Maria rolled her eyes and flashed her ID for the security officer to see before stepping into the elevator that would take them up to the upper floors of the Tower. FRIDAY did the security scans as they waited, Eve leaning against the wall while Maria called out their destination.

"I think Natasha knows who everyone in the building is, to be completely honest. And I'm pretty sure she's getting just as annoyed as I am at this little back and forth you have going on. Steve is completely insistent that he needs to thank you for everything you've put up with from him. Are you seriously going to tell me you're going to deny someone that good looking the right to meet you?" Maria asked seriously, turning to face Eve with a frown tilting her lips. "I mean, he's already interested, what more do you have to do? Do you want a written invitation into their inner circle? Because I could arrange that."

Eve laughed at the thought, knowing that half the people in New York, hell, the world, would kill to meet Captain Rogers or any of the other superheroes that Eve had had the pleasure to work with. That wasn't the part that freaked Eve out, though. She was more worried about what happened once the superheroes figured out that she wasn't as interesting as they made her out to be. She wanted to know what would happen when they realized she wasn't some majestic being, that she was just a normal girl who had no idea what she was doing half the time. Would they still allow her the pleasure of running their ops after they did? She wasn't sure she could risk it. As much as she complained about how shitty her agents were most of the time, she had grown to love them all and losing them was something she wasn't sure she could survive.

"I wouldn't mind meeting any of them, really. They seem like great people." Eve informed Maria, who just sighed deeply in exasperation. She knew all the reasons it was a bad idea for Eve to meet the Avengers and yet the other woman still argued for it. She was under the impression that Eve needed more friends than just Nova, Lewis, and her. It never crossed Maria's mind that the Avengers wouldn't want to be friends with her. She was too good a friend for that.

"I'm serious. You should just meet with the Captain, at the very least. It'll make everything so much more interesting around here." And there it was. What Maria always wanted. She wanted something interesting to gossip about, something that would keep her entertained for weeks to come. Of course, Eve was her first choice for that sort of thing because, while she was important to various missions and to three certain Avengers, she wasn't in any immediately danger and, if worse came to worse, was completely expendable. Captain Rogers wouldn't be too happy if she just up and disappeared off his coms again, but that wasn't really his choice to begin with.

"You wound me. I thought I was plenty entertaining for you." Eve teased, happy when the elevator stopped moving and the door started to open. She was more than done with this conversation, the same one she'd been having for years with her friend and mentor. Her smile dropped as soon as the Black Widow came into view on the other side of the glinting silver doors, her eyes intent on Eve. The brilliant green resembled chips of emerald and Eve tensed a little. The door slid shut when the other woman stepped in and Eve squashed down the urge to slip behind Maria and hide from the oncoming storm. Maria seemed to read the idea in Eve's mind and moved so that her back was against the wall, leaving her no chance to hide from the encounter.

"So, Evangeline Lauren St. James. Nice to finally meet you. My name is Natasha Romanoff. But you already know that." The Widow informed her, her tone matter of fact. Her deep red hair was arranged in loose curled down just past her shoulders. She was only a few inches taller than Eve, not quite as tall as Maria, and had a demanding presence around her. Beautiful, the Widow's plump lips pursed as she looked Eve over critically.

Eve knew what she saw. Her messy auburn hair was yanked back into a ponytail, her go-to for bad hair days. The curls were wild and chaotic, falling down to the middle of her back when pulled away from her face. Her makeup was functional and only present because she was in the office for the day and appearances were half the battle when it came to the office. Gold liner ringed her eyes and mascara darkened her eyelashes, the only concessions she'd made to the modern perspective of female beauty. Her skin was remarkably pale from too many days spent in front of a computer screen and too few laying out tanning on a beach somewhere, her few freckles standing out in stark comparison. Her nails were cut short and pained fluorescent green at the moment, in conjunction to her outfit, which consisted of black slacks and a pale pink button up, something she'd borrowed from Maria and never given back. Her shoes were laced heels that had looked kick ass on the shelf but killed her feet if they were worn for more than an hour at a time. Her eyes were a warm hazel, just light enough to miss brown. Standing at about five foot three, she was short, making five six in the heels she'd chosen. Heels carried power in an increasingly male industry, but that didn't mean that she hadn't hidden a pair of flats in her office desk drawer. All in all, she looked just like any other young employee working for Stark Industries, nothing like an advanced, level eight SHIELD agent.

"So you found me?" It was obvious that Natasha had and that it hadn't taken much to do so. Stark kept detailed records of all of his employees and she wouldn't have been surprised if he had a list of who she'd worked with under his not-so-secure encryption.

"Did you doubt that I would? I know every agent who has ever worked with us on a mission. You can call me Natasha." The woman stuck out one delicate hand in greeting and Eve had no choice but to take it in her own. There was no real hesitation behind her movements because she knew what so many other people tended to forget. If the Widow wanted her dead, she'd have been dead already. That was all there was to it. Since she was still alive, there must have been something else that Natasha was looking for. It was now just a waiting game to see if she would announce it or if Eve had to piece together what clues she would get.

"You can call me Eve." Eve answered honestly, waiting for the agent to tell her exactly what it was that she was waiting for. Shaking her hand, which was softly calloused and warm against Eve's palm, she fought the urge to back away slowly as Natasha's predatory gaze raked over her, taking in every little imperfection.

"You're Maria's secretary. We've met." Natasha reminded her. Eve fought a blush at the assertion, knowing that none of the other Avengers she'd worked with would remember meeting her at the office party the year before. She'd been introduced because Pepper had insisted she attend and it had been a quiet affair, especially where Eve was concerned. She'd left around one in the morning, when it was socially acceptable for her to do so without gaining any unwanted attention. Right after the party was the attack from Ultron and no one else had thought twice about her appearance, obviously having completely forgotten she was there in the midst of the ensuing chaos.

"I'm her personal assistant. It keeps me close so I can work on missions as well as help her with anything she needs within the company. And we have met before, at the party after the HYDRA take down and the return of Loki's scepter." Eve explained. Natasha's lips pursed as she took this information in, obviously not completely surprised but still considering what that meant. The woman nodded slowly after a moment, her face remaining 'open' and 'friendly', two things that Natasha usually wasn't. Eve knew that she was trying to manipulate her, that was just what Natasha did. Everything she said or did had a purpose. The only question was what that purpose was. To be friends or to pull her deeper into her web?

"Did Stark think of that all on his own? He had to know that we would get confused if Maria kept you hidden, so he just had you come to a few parties and be there as a background person. Keep the suspicion away." Natasha raised an eyebrow at Maria as she dropped Eve's hand, a little too late for comfort. Eve figured she had some type of scanner along her palm. Eve had placed a million of them on different missions and knew exactly what Natasha would find if she started digging into her childhood and familial past. Nothing that would endear her.

"I might have nudged him in the right direction. You know how he is." Maria offered with a small shrug, tilting her lips up as she watched the exchange with curious eyes. The elevator paused but the door didn't open, FRIDAY obviously giving them a little more time to complete the conversation. FRIDAY was one of Stark's best inventions, in Eve's opinion. She was partial to JARVIS, but JARVIS was now only in Stark's arsenal. FRIDAY ran the office and the Tower in the other AI's stead. She was kind of a pain sometimes when Eve was in uncomfortable situations, like so, but Eve knew that it was a Stark thing, not an AI thing. All of his AIs, even the elusive and deadly Ultron, had someone downloaded a bit of Stark's personality. It was unfortunate, but to be expected.

"Well, since we've already met before, that takes care of any discomfort and we can go straight to having lunch today. I'll see you both down the block at noon." Natasha ordered, the door dinging open as soon as the words were out of her mouth. The woman walked out without another word, onto a floor Eve knew existed, but never had the chance to actually see. It looked like she'd walked into some sort of living room, but the doors quickly closed and left Eve with more questions than answers. When the hell had her life gotten so complicated?

"Well, that went well. Hopefully she doesn't find anything too terrible in your past that makes her deem you unworthy. I'd hate to have to break in another assistant. You were just getting good at the phone greeting." Maria offered with a genuine laugh, completely ignoring the dirty look Eve shot her way. Her head thumped back against the metal of the elevator wall as she slumped, the heels on her feet squeezing in a death grip.

"You won't have to. I left Nova as your personal assistant in my will." Eve snapped back with one of the only things that Maria wouldn't want to hear. Nova and Maria got along when they were out drinking or when they needed to gossip about Eve, but they didn't mesh well in a professional environment. Eve had become something of a wrangler when it came to her roommate and no one was interested in seeing what it was like to have Nova on a team without Eve standing by to break up fights and translate insults. If she wasn't around, it was very common for someone to end up with a bloody nose. And that someone was rarely Nova.

"Oh, good lord, I can't let them kill you." Maria complained as the door opened to their office floor. Eve just huffed out a laugh as she straightened up, walking through to the floor that was their own. They had their own corner office that overlooked New York and gave them a perfect view of the activity below. Stark had only put four more offices in the space, enough for Eve to have her own if she so chose. She'd been putting it off because of the correlation between her work and Maria's, but she was thinking it wouldn't be long before someone noticed that she was just taking up room. Hopefully, that person wasn't Natasha.

"FRIDAY, light 'em up." Eve called as she walked through the darkened middle area. There were about fifteen cubicles between her and their office, but no one else was home at the moment. Most of the cubicles were for active agents when it was safe for them to come to the Tower and the offices were for high ranking SHIELD officials, like Maria. Director Phil Coulson had an office opposite theirs, Ex- Director Nick Fury had one that was next to theirs, and there was an empty one kitty corner that Melinda May usually used when she was around. They didn't stop by often at all and Eve was still getting used to the fact that no one turned to look when they walked in.

During her run in SHIELD, which had admittedly lasted only a couple years, Eve had been used to the odd bits of attention she was sent when she was seen walking around with Maria. Maria was an imposing figure, tall with broad shoulders and a stern look on her face. Eve was usually the opposite, withdrawn and quiet. They'd gotten their fair share of questioning glanced whenever they were seen in the same room. The only people who had understood their friendship were the people who saw Eve on the coms and understood just what she could do when she was given the right instruments.

The lights flickered on as Eve walked in and she sighed at the silence, wishing that there was more noise. She'd lived in the Tower for two years, since she was released from medical after the DC incident, and she'd gotten use to the noise and the bustle of the city. FRIDAY started turning on the computers and monitors, the news starting a comforting hum from the break room even though no one was in there. Eve stepped into their office and surveyed the mess that was left behind, moving forward to drop her bag on the floor by her desk and sending up a mental thank you to FRIDAY, who always knew just what to do to make her feel better.

The state of the art computers powered up, pulling some of the tension out of Eve's spine and she leaned over to untangle her shoelaces as the office started to boot up. Pulling the contraptions off, she set them under the desk by her bag and laughed when she noticed Maria doing the same at her own desk. Heels had kick ass power, yes, but they weren't comfortable to wear around the office on a day to day basis, not even for superheroes.

Pulling out the calendar that listed Maria's schedule for the day, Eve slotted about an hour out of the afternoon for their impromptu lunch with Natasha Romanoff. Maria had more meetings with various old employees and a lie detector, where she would either hire or incarcerate various ex-SHIELD employees. No one was hired without a thorough background check and various lie detectors, as well as some scare tactics that tended to leave some of the recruits shaking in their boots.

Lewis usually conducted the interrogations so long as Eve didn't have any missions planned, so Maria would be working with him for the afternoon. The first scheduled interview was at two and that would give them enough time for lunch, hopefully. Eve didn't exactly know what Natasha was planning, but figured it would be a fairly normal occurrence. Well, she hoped it would be.

Eve was up to planning a new mission that day, her entire afternoon penciled out for it. She'd end up studying with FRIDAY, requisitioning equipment from the various Stark R&D floors, and putting in requests from different agencies for diplomatic immunity. Foreign officials didn't exactly approve of the privatization of global security, but they couldn't exactly say no to Stark Industries when they were one of the wealthiest companies in the world. Especially when they had secret agents working under them that doubled as assassins. Even if that wasn't what SHIELD did anymore, everyone remembered the DC incident far too well to forget just how powerful the Avengers really were.

"Ms. St. James, it would seem that there are three new messages for you from one Mr. Barton and one message from Ms. Romanoff on your active duty device." FRIDAY informed Eve, who let out a low groan. How had the Hawk figured out that Natasha had found her so quickly? He was supposed to be doped up on medicine for the next few days, not running around calling her emergency device because he wanted a word about who she was.

"Play them for me, please." Eve commanded, already knowing what she would hear.

"Seraphim! How dare you let Natasha meet you first?! I thought we were friends. I thought we were colleagues! I thought…" There was a muffled screech before she heard a loud thump. "NAT!"

Eve found herself smiling as the recording went dead, glancing over when she heard Maria laughing her ass off at her own desk, clicking through her own various messages. Of course, Maria's were all on her computer through her email. Eve was the one who got the annoying voicemails from her favorite Strike Team.

"I can't believe Nat hung up when I was in the middle of a rant. Anyway, I thought we were closer than this. Really, you're breaking my heart!" Clint's voice was slightly slurred, pointing to the effects of massive sedation. Of course, that had never stopped him from completing a mission before and Eve doubted any sort of medication would make him forget what he saw as a huge injustice. The line went dead for a moment and Eve wondered if Natasha was downstairs, sitting with him just to make sure she could hang up his voicemails. It would be a very interesting job. The third message commenced playing, completely uninterrupted. "I sincerely apologize for my adolescent behavior. Apparently, lecturing you will do me no good. However, Nat says that, should I behave, I'll get a hint as to who you are. It better be a good one. Before you delete the messages, you're still my favorite coms after Coulson!"

That was the highest praise she would get out of the archer and Eve knew it. Coulson had been the Hawk's SO when he'd first been brought in and had taught him everything he knew about SHIELD. The fact that Eve ranked close to his SO in his heart brought about a surge of warmth in Eve's chest for the man who had been nothing but a pain in her ass since she'd met him.

A new message started not long after, this one with the soothing dulcet tones of Natasha's voice.

"I'll keep him off the phone for now, but there's not going to be any getting around meeting him once he's out of medical. Now that he realizes you aren't just a computer generated voice somewhere, he won't stop digging until he figures it out. As for the Captain, well, don't wait too long on that one. He's not getting any younger." Natasha quipped, pulling a chuckle out of Eve. "I'll see you at lunch, Maria has the location. And I'll make sure I'm not followed."

A click signaled the end of the message and Eve let FRIDAY delete them, rolling her eyes when she realized that Maria was still laughing.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to just let them meet you. They're going to start asking questions if you don't, I'm surprised they've trusted you this long." Maria reminded her as she sobered up a little bit. If Eve was honest with herself, she was surprised that her charges had let her get away with her mysterious act for so long. Obviously Natasha had known her name and her SHIELD manifest, if not more. And the woman had trusted her anyway, which was probably what had kept the others from tracking her down in earnest. They both trusted Natasha with their lives and they'd given her that implicit trust as well, even if she didn't particularly deserve it.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Eve grumbled, turning back to her work.


	3. Lunch Dates and Babysitters

**I forgot to mention this in the beginning, but this story is slightly AU. Clint Barton doesn't have a family in this one, which is briefly mentioned. Instead of going to the farm in AoU and finding his family, they just went to his farm and it was empty. He also has an apartment building like in the Hawkeye comics and has Kate staying with him (The female Hawkeye) whenever she feels like it. I'm planning on this being the beginning of a series and it's more beneficial to have him single at the moment. Not that I don't love Laura Barton. In fact, she's actually one of my favorite characters from AoU. It just gives me a little more creative room to wiggle in to have him single.**

 **Also, I'm not sure if the timelines quite line up, but this is supposed to be about a year after AoU. Generally, about five years after Cap woke up.**

 **Thanks for reading! And thank you to everyone who favorites and reviews, I love reading reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: Marvel owns basically everything accept Evangeline, who is mine.**

"How did you… You know what, I probably don't want to know…" Eve rolled her eyes as she slid into the seat she always sat in at her favorite café, the opposite seat of the booth occupied by Natasha. Maria slid into the spot next to Natasha, putting both of their backs to the wall. Eve figured that she'd let them have their security. SHIELD agents were normally very paranoid, a trait that had officially skipped Eve. She didn't mind putting her back to the rest of the restaurant considering two of the best trained women in the country were opposite her, watching her back. Not only did she trust Maria and Natasha to keep her safe, she hadn't even inherited a fear of people from the agency she'd worked for. To her, people were just people. To them, everyone was a potential threat to be analyzed.

"I did thorough research, Evangeline. Besides that, Maria actually recommended the place." Natasha informed her with an actual, genuine smile. Well, it looked genuine to Eve, anyway. She wasn't stupid enough to be sure that it was. As much as she liked the other woman on missions, it was different having her around outside of a mission. Because there was no one better at blending into an environment than Natasha Romanoff. If she hadn't willed it, Eve would never have met the woman face to face. The question that was on Eve's mind was, why did Natasha care about her?

"I thought it would be a good place to meet up. Neutral ground, of sorts." By neutral ground, Maria meant that the Winter Soldier, or the Sergeant as Eve called him, ate at the café almost every day for lunch. In fact, he was currently perched at the counter, watching them through the reflection of the mirror by the counter. Eve and the Sergeant hadn't technically ever met face to face, but she'd worked with him on coms almost as often as she worked with the Hawk. The Sergeant appreciated her yelling at the Captain more than almost anyone else who had heard it and she'd managed to get a few good chuckles out of him, even if he wasn't the most chatty person in existence. In fact, he tended to remain silent unless forced to articulate what he wanted, his only acknowledgement of her orders coming in grunts or chuckles.

"You think he knows who I am too?" Eve asked seriously, having never considered that option before. It made sense, in some twisted logic that most of SHIELD seemed to work on. The Sergeant had been trained within the same regime as the Black Widow, it would make sense that he would use the same logic and do just as much research before allowing someone to order him around blindly. From what she understood, he'd gotten in enough trouble blindly trusting what other people had to say. It would make sense that he'd want to avoid another situation that was similar to the one he'd finally gotten out of.

"I know he does for a fact. He's just been keeping it to himself, like a good lap dog. Why do you think he comes here just as often as you do? Someone has to keep an eye on you. You're much too important to be wandering around on your own with HYDRA on the loose." Natasha informed her clinically, eyebrows scrunched just a little.

Eve felt like a chastised child, wondering why she'd never considered it before. The Sergeant rarely went out at all and the only people who were qualified to boss him around were the women at the table with her and Captain Rogers. The Captain didn't know who Eve was and couldn't give out a protective detail, Natasha had made it very clear that she had been surprised by Eve's appearance. The only other person who could get the Sergeant to do anything for them was…

"You gave me a babysitter?" Eve turned to stare at Maria in disbelief, gasping when Maria nodded slightly. It had never occurred to her that the other woman would do such a thing and it actually honestly baffled her mind that she had done so without consulting her first. As far as protective details went, Eve wasn't sure why Maria thought that the Sergeant would have any sort of remorse if she should die and wanted an explanation almost more than she wanted to yell at her friend.

"Captain Rogers relies on you and you alone to be his moral support. He's made it abundantly clear that he will be a huge pain in my ass if something were to take you off of his coms detail. As far as why I enlisted the Sergeant, I figured he would understand the significance and he has. He's kept his distance and made sure to keep minimal contact. Besides, following you around gets him out of the Tower." Maria shrugged a little, not looking the least bit ashamed of herself.

Eve turned to face the Sergeant again, who was already turning to watch her. Obviously, he realized that he'd been made or he would have turned back away from her like usual. She had noticed he wasn't keen on attention, but she wouldn't have been either with half the world after her. The only reason the people at the café ignored his presence was that he didn't look anything like the scruffy man who had appeared on America's Most Wanted the year before. He was cleaned up and almost handsome when he wasn't glowering at people. Tipping his mug of coffee towards her in a half assed salute, he waited until she nodded back slightly to go back to the newspaper that was spread out before him. A chill swept up her spine at the sight of him doing something so mundane.

"The Sergeant has his own interests in keeping you safe. He wouldn't have taken the detail if he didn't like you, so don't worry so much. He's not going to snap and break your neck or anything. All you have to be careful of is the day when he finally decides to bring Cap with him to breakfast. Then you'll be in deep shit. Those boys can hear a whisper from a mile away." Natasha informed her, reverting to a distinctly southern accent when a waitress came over to the table. "Can I get a sweet tea, puh-lease?"

It didn't take much to realize that Natasha was playing up her 'southern charm', but the waitress ate it all up, nodding and writing down the order. The blonde gave Natasha a once over, her eyes snagging on the low cut front of her sweater. Considering what Eve knew of the Widow's past, it kind of surprised her that she would consider a civilian for a serious affair. Then again, no one had said anything about her intentions being completely serious.

"I'll take a water." Maria ordered to fill the increasingly awkward silence, stifling a smirk as she did so. Eve shot her a look of genuine annoyance before she herself smiled at the waitress as kindly as she knew how and ordered a lemonade. How three distinctly different women all ended up at the same table, she couldn't find an answer. The only thing they had in common was SHIELD and even that was a stretch. Maria and Natasha made sense together as two of the deadliest women on the planet. All Eve had going for her was knowledge of things better left unknown.

"I'll be right back with your drinks." The waitress winked at Natasha as she turned away and Eve held back a smile of her own, looking away to pretend she hadn't seen anything. The woman who was serving them was around Natasha's age and Eve wondered if the woman would give her a fighting chance. They'd make a cute couple.

"So, I didn't come just for a girls' day out or whatever normal people do when they want friends. I came because I think it's about time you meet Cap face to face. If you don't do something about it, I will." Natasha snapped Eve back into her newest twisted version of reality so fast that she swore she got whiplash. What had happened to the sweet southern girl who was flirting with the waitress? Why did the elusive Widow have to pop up right away?

"You can't do that. Can she do that?" Eve turned to Maria for help, surprised when Maria didn't say a word. No, instead, the Sergeant was sliding into the seat next to Eve, glaring at the Widow as he did. He was close enough to snap Eve's neck in one smooth move, especially with his metal arm on her side. Eve wasn't completely naïve, she knew that the Sergeant was a dangerous man. He didn't do it, of course, instead just setting his mug of coffee on the table with a determined click and leaning back against his seat, gunmetal grey eyes boring into the Widow's own emerald, a challenge lying there.

"She can't do that." The Sergeant informed Eve, who almost jumped in surprise. She could count the number of times he'd spoken to her on one hand and none of them were face to face. Fighting the urge to remind him that he didn't particularly like her unless she was yelling at his best friend, Eve relaxed as much as she could. He was there to help her, after all. At least, she thought he was. He hadn't really announced his reasons for stopping the Widow from introducing her to the Captain and she thought it a bit odd that he would be on her side in the first place. Wasn't he supposed to be on the Captain's side?

The reasons that Eve wouldn't meet the Captain were probably the weakest in the world. It had more to do with her being a giant scaredy cat than anything else. She just wasn't sure how the other man would take her in real like. In the times that she'd been in the same room as him, he'd looked right over her. It wasn't as big of a surprise as everyone else deemed it. The coms were one thing, teasing him and yelling at him, that was easy. Meeting him in person? That was a whole different ball game and she wasn't sure that she was up to it.

"You going to fight me, Barnes?" Natasha bit out, obviously not impressed with the fact that Eve had someone who was on her side that could actually pose a threat. Frowning at the Russian, the Sergeant glanced sideways at Eve as if he was gauging his own reaction to the situation. Eve turned her head just slightly, a negative on him fighting Natasha, her eyes wide. The Sergeant actually tended to get along well with Natasha on missions and Eve wasn't going to be the one who ruined a friendship for the elusive man. Besides that, she didn't expect him to defend her in the least. It wasn't his fight and it was mostly her own insecurities that were stopping her. It was nice to know he was on her side against a woman who could kick her ass and hand it to her on a platter. So could the Sergeant. Or basically anyone at the table. Hell, even the waitress could probably disarm her. But that wasn't the point. The point was that she didn't want him fighting her battles.

"Meet you on the mats any time, Romanova." The Sergeant finally answered, obviously having found what he was looking for. Eve blinked in surprise.

"Why do I get the feeling this is escalating way too quickly?" Eve reached out without thinking, pressing a hand into the fabric of the sweatshirt over the Sergeant's arm and stopping his next words in their tracks. From the rapid tensing of Natasha's shoulders, she figured that this could escalate into a full on war if they weren't careful. Eve shot Natasha a warning look, one that she shot the mission screen at least ten times a mission. "You two stop it right now. We are in a public place and I am not ordering a cleanup for that mess. Either play nice or I'll be forced to put you on probation. I can do that, remember?"

As soon as she was done talking, she realized that everyone at the table had frozen, staring at her like she'd just smacked them all in the face. Eve unconsciously shrank away from the Sergeant just slightly, dropping her hand off of his arm. He adjusted his position so that he had a better view of her, frowning down at the top of her head.

"What?"

"Sometimes, I forget that you're my best handler." Maria broke the silence, relaxing back into her seat. Obviously, she thought the danger that the two assassins posed had passed, which kind of surprised Eve. She hadn't been completely sure that they would listen to her if there wasn't the threat of death hanging over their heads.

"I'm not a handler. I'm a 'communication's specialist'." Eve did the air quotes around the title, knowing it was a bullshit title for the job she'd been given. HQ didn't have a real title for what she did, so Maria had made one up off of the top of her head, just so that she had a real position with SHIELD. Handlers actually met with their agents, made sure that they knew what was going on in the mission and tested their abilities. Eve had never met any of her agents as their superior, instead just slipping through the background, just the way she liked it. Hell, even during the Chitauri battle in New York, she'd been in their ears, yelling at them and giving out orders to various SHIELD agents along the way. She'd ordered the destruction of three buildings to contain the disaster and no one had batted an eyelash, even though they couldn't see her.

"Yeah, but you just talked two of my most volatile agents out of fighting one another in a crowded restaurant in under ten seconds. Just by raising your voice slightly. Sometimes, I fear you." Maria informed her with a smile. Natasha made a face and the Sergeant rolled his eyes just slightly enough that no one else seemed to notice. Eve had worked with him enough since he'd been brought in that she could make out his small mannerisms. He didn't show his irritation like any of her other agents, which was probably a good thing, but Eve took notice to every move he made, wanting to make sure he was comfortable on her missions and in real life.

"Here are your drinks." The waitress popped back up and Eve fought a small heart attack. Not that the others would notice anyway. The waitress was making eyes at Natasha again, having reapplied her cherry red lipstick. Natasha sent the woman a dazzling smile, accepting her sweet tea with a sultry look. The woman definitely knew how to fuck someone with her eyes. Seriously, Eve was actually a little uncomfortable seeing it and glanced at Maria for help, who was noticeably avoiding watching the two. The Sergeant just looked mildly amused, which basically meant he was laughing his ass off on the inside.

Eve didn't even bother to thank the waitress for her own drink, considering Natasha was definitely thanking her enough.

"What can I get you all to eat today?" The waitress asked innocently. Eve swore that if Natasha made a crude sexual comment, she was going to leave the table. No matter that she'd have to climb over the Sergeant's lap to get out. It would definitely be worth it to see the look on their faces.

"I'll take the Napa Steak Sandwich, medium rare." Natasha of course, ordered first, eyeing the woman's, ahem, assets. Which she had on full display.

"And for you?" The waitress turned to the rest of them and waited patiently.

"The Cobb Salad, ranch dressing, no eggs please." Maria ordered succinctly, taking Natasha's menu and handing it off with her own. The Sergeant turned to Eve, obviously assuming she would order next. She almost smiled at the gentlemanly gesture, having known that the man the Sergeant had been a long time ago was quite the ladies' man. Of course, he had lost some of his charm when he'd gained the cold exterior of an experienced assassin, but that was to be expected.

"I'll just take the House Salad with Italian dressing, please." She wasn't very hungry, not when she was busy freaking out about the fact that two of her charges now knew exactly who she was. Hell, they probably knew where she slept as well. She couldn't put anything past the two master assassins. As much as she liked Natasha and the Sergeant, she was used to them being more abstract concepts than real people who could kill her ten ways with their straws.

"Double Bacon Cheese Burger with everything on it and a double side of fries." The Sergeant ordered, his deep voice an odd contrast to Eve's high voice. She knew that she tended to sound childish next to people like Natasha and the Sergeant, who had deeper, rougher voices, but that didn't stop her from barking out orders with the best of them.

"Alright, that'll be right up." The waitress offered with another wink to Natasha, who accepted it with a sensual lick of the lips.

As soon as the waitress was out of sight, Eve kicked out with her foot, hitting the assassin just as she had planned. The woman in question didn't even jump, instead turning to glare at Eve like she was the dirt of the Earth. It was an effective look that had the Sergeant tensing slightly, but Eve just pursed her lips with disapproval.

"You have a bit of drool there." Eve motioned to her own chin and Natasha stuck her tongue out at Eve like the grown ass assassin that she was. Maria laughed as she took a sip of her water, the Sergeant sighing a little as he looked around the room. Eve figured he was watching for trouble, as was his job when she was around, apparently. It was kind of odd to know that the Sergeant was her babysitter whenever she was out of the Tower. She rarely left the confines of the massive glass building, it was safe and had all the amenities she could ask for, but that didn't mean it didn't make her claustrophobic sometimes. She wondered how many times she'd disappeared without a trace and panicked her best friends because she'd gone down to the library or the park.

"I can't help it if she's beautiful." Natasha offered with a slight smirk, taking a sip of her sweet tea. Eve wondered how she managed not to make a face as she drank it, considering the Widow hated sweet tea. Over the course of the years Eve had been running missions with Natasha, she'd learned a lot about the woman. It was just a side effect of working together.

"You say that, but…" Maria started, intent on teasing her. The waitress came back with their food before they could really get into it and Eve bit into her tongue to keep her mouth shut. It almost didn't work when the waitress set Natasha's plate down and tilted her front half forward over the table, probably giving the woman an eyeful. Eve smacked the Sergeant's arm without a thought, fighting the urge to burst out laughing at the scene in front of her. The Sergeant jumped about a foot in the air, wide grey eyes snapping to hers, and she immediately felt bad.

"Sorry." She murmured, fighting back an embarrassed blush. She'd forgotten for a moment that he wasn't like Maria, wasn't like her. Most of her friends assumed she'd hit them at some point if they hung out with her and Nova and Maria had just come to expect it. The Sergeant had no such background and it was lucky he had enough control not to hit her back. She wasn't sure she'd survive a hit from his metal arm, even if it was just an accident.

The Sergeant didn't answer immediately, but his lips tilted into a smile after a moment and she figured that was answer enough. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be friends with the assassins she knew… Maybe it could work…


	4. A Little Insecure

**Back again! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited! So, someone mentioned that this would be a good Bucky/OC story because Steve hasn't exactly been introduced yet, but there is a reason for that, I promise. This chapter is from Cap's POV, so yeah. I might update a little sooner in here, I have the next couple chapters planned out, so stay tuned.**

 **Enjoy!**

Sweat matted his hair, the heat sticking his pale grey work out tee shirt to the small of his back. Groaning, Steve manipulated his body at the same time as Natasha, mirroring her motions as slowly as possible. Arms over his head, he brought his hands together before winging them out and dipping forward to press his palms into the floor, the motions pulling at the wounds to his abdomen and sending spikes of pain down his legs even as he stepped back into a low lunge. Soft music played in the background, a medley of Russian ballet music that his partner had put together to introduce to him. He would give anything for the smooth melody of jazz to slide from the speakers but knew better than to ask Natasha about it. One wrong move and she'd banish him from the gym all together, which was technically what his orders were anyway.

Since the debacle that was their last mission, Steve had been ordered out of the gymnasium and any other training exercises that were brought up while he was healing from the bullet wounds. He was supposed to be on recovery for another two days, but the silence in his apartment was driving him absolutely insane. Too much time in his own head wasn't good for him. It allowed memories he didn't want to think about to slip into his mind and fester like open wounds, drawing him into a spiral of self-loathing.

Taking deep breaths, Steve slid back into a plank position, tightening all the muscles in his body to hold it perfectly. A glistening sheen of sweat covered Natasha as well, her red hair pulled back into a braid that kept the strands out of her face. Her green eyes flicked around the room at proper intervals, checking to make sure no one was watching them as they worked out. Steve wasn't worried about enemies in the Tower at the moment, but he could agree that her paranoia was well warranted. They'd been attack at the Tower more often than not and it wasn't exactly the safest place so long as Stark was in attendance. Everyone had been on guard since the incident with Ultron, when they found out that Stark wasn't the best man to trust with unlimited technology. The team kept up a regular attendance around the place to keep the scientists in line and make sure another world threatening mistake wasn't in the making.

Rolling his body back into the downward dog, Steve tilted his head to watch Natasha and see what she was going to do next, keeping his breathing even and strong. Pain rippled through his clenched muscles and he knew he'd regret allowing her to train with him later, but it was enough just to have someone in the same room for a little while. He'd gotten used to having Bucky in his apartment, but the man had taken to disappearing at regular intervals and reappearing at random times with no good explanation as to why he'd suddenly left. Since Bucky had left about two hours ago, Steve had been on his own until he'd finally decided to throw caution to the wind and go train in the gym. He had no idea when the other man would be back and figured he could work out and get back before Bucky even realized he was missing. As much as the other man was having trouble adjusting to his memories, he was just as obsessive about Steve's health as he was before the serum and would shit a brick if he found out that Steve was actively ignoring the doctor's orders.

Natasha had caught him before he could start in on the reinforced punching bags that lined the far wall and given him two options to choose from. Either he worked with her through yoga or she would send Seraphim a warning that he was working out when he wasn't supposed to be, a well thought out threat indeed. Instead of risking the wrath of his communication's specialist and possibly losing all access to the gym, Steve had accepted her invitation to stretch. It was better than being locked away in his apartment or getting his clearance wiped so that he was only allowed in the kitchens and his apartment. He could personally attest to how much such restrictions sucked.

"Getting tired, Rogers?" Natasha's voice caught his attention and Steve quickly pushed into a lunge, straightening his shoulders and upper back to turn towards the red head. He'd missed her movements and lagged behind, something he couldn't let happen again if he wanted to continue. If she thought he was too weak, she had no trouble sending him back to his floor to rest. And then he wouldn't be able to sneak back out.

"Are you?" Steve shot back, relieved when a smirk quirked the corner of her mouth. So long as she was in a good mood, he was safe.

"You know, day dreaming about Seraphim isn't going to get you anywhere. Why don't you ask that girl from Pepper's office out? What was her name again, the one we were introduced to at the Christmas party?" Natasha offered, the relief of her smile falling from Steve's mind in the face of her relentless teasing. Of course she'd start in on setting him up with another date as soon as he started ignoring her. Obviously, the debacle with Sharon hadn't taught her anything about his track record with relationships.

He was starting to think that he wasn't meant to date or get serious with a woman. The women he dated either grew old while he was sleeping or decided to use him as a wealth of information for another government agency. Either way, his relationships were doomed before they started. Natasha should recognize a pattern when she saw one, especially when it came from him. Their jobs didn't leave much time for finding someone who wanted to go steady. She knew that just as well as he did, even if it didn't seem to bother her. She was very good at hiding her true emotions under snide comments and deceptively charming changes in subject.

"Romanoff, you're a pain in the ass." Steve informed the woman seriously, stretching his arms out and pulling his chest up further to get a better stretch. Straightening both legs, they wind milled down in one smooth motion before stepping back into another plank.

"Who taught you that language? How very ungentlemanly, Steven." Natasha teased. He wondered briefly what had her in such a good mood, thinking back over the last week to figure out if she'd said anything worthwhile. Natasha said a lot of nothing and tended to turn conversations back on him whenever he went digging into her personal life. It made getting to know her impossible and kept her from getting hurt, which was basically her goal in life. Switching to the other side so that he wasn't facing her anymore, Steve repeated the process of the lunge, straightening up and stretching his arms.

"Why do you insist on finding me a date, Natasha?" Steve shot back, curious. She'd been like that since he'd met her, so it wasn't like her nosiness was a surprise. Natasha was a lot of things and a master spy was one of them. She knew more about his life than he did, sad as that was. Before they'd gone on their first mission together, she'd admitted to looking him up. Of course, most of the facts that were presented in museum exhibits and on the pages of history were mixed up and useless, but they told a familiar story. One that centered around his life as a national icon and a soldier, never really mentioning much about the man he'd been before the serum. Everything that mattered to the historians came from a syringe.

"Come on, you deserve to be happy just as much as the next guy. As much as I enjoy teasing you, I do believe that you deserve to find someone who can love you, fossil and all." Natasha informed him. She kept her voice relatively even as Steve snorted, knowing there was more to the story than her terrible puns. "Besides, you can't let what happened with Sharon ruin your chances at happiness. She was one woman. If you could get the guts to ask a girl out, we could double. There's a waitress down the street that I could call."

"Sharon is the tip of the iceberg and you know it. Besides, most people aren't really interested in me. It's the suit they want." Steve reminded her, fighting back a wave of annoyance. The suit was what was recognizable and what made him special. He'd walked through the Smithsonian Museum exhibit on his life and the life of his best friends enough times to know that most people didn't even bother to look at him. They didn't care about Steve Rogers or Bucky Barnes or even Dum Dum Dugan. They cared about Captain America and The Winter Soldier and The Howling Commandos. They cared about the symbolism, not the people behind it.

"You think Seraphim is interested in the real you?" Natasha asked in a mocking voice.

"Would you stop making it sound like I want to meet her just to sleep with her?" Steve requested for the hundredth time. Over the last few days, Natasha had been bugging him about his motives for wanting to meet the other woman and he was about done with her prying. She knew all the reasons he wanted to meet his communication's specialist, knew why he wanted to thank her. Seraphim had gotten him through some pretty rough times in his life and she deserved his gratitude. It had nothing to do with his small crush on the woman and everything to do with the fact that he wanted to meet the woman he trusted with his life. "You know it's more than that."

"So you're interested in the real Seraphim?" That was a new question and Steve pushed out of the lunge, turning to stand and face Natasha full on. If she was going to ask serious questions, he wanted to be able to see her face when he gave her serious answers. He couldn't read her like he could most people, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she would be reading him.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're so worried about people only liking you because you're Captain America. But Seraphim is just a codename, a handle. What if Seraphim is a forty two year old African American woman? What if she's a seventy year old grandmother of three? What if she's nineteen years old, straight from training? What if she isn't the person you're looking for? What if she doesn't live up to your expectations? What if she isn't the miracle woman you want?" Natasha demanded, standing up to face off with him. He was surprised by the glint in her eyes, almost feverish. Like she really cared about how he answered. Like she was emotionally invested in the conversation, something he'd rarely ever seen before.

"It doesn't matter what she looks like. I owe her." Steve reminded Natasha, curious and concerned all at once. He honestly didn't care what the woman looked like. He knew that she was probably nothing like he imagined and that was fine. He liked Seraphim because of who she was to him, not because of what she looked like or anything so completely superficial. He wanted to get to know her, even just as a friend. Anything to give him some idea as to who the woman he trusted with his life really was. And if he got to thank her for what she'd done for him, he could die a happy man.

Natasha snorted at his answer, stalking away to grab her towel off of the bench in the corner and wipe at the sweat on her brow. Steve followed behind her slowly, unsure what had just happened or why he felt like he'd given the wrong answer to a test question.

"Owing someone and actually liking them are two very different things. Go find someone else to put your dreams on, Rogers. Seraphim doesn't need your expectations or your thanks. She knows she's valuable." Natasha spun to face him and Steve was taken aback by the violence flashing behind her eyes. He'd seen her angry before, furious, but this was different. It was the same way she got when someone threatened Barton, the same look as the one she'd given Loki. Like he was the enemy. It was… protective.

"You've met her." It slapped him in the face so suddenly he almost reeled back at the impact. Natasha had met Seraphim, the girl behind the voice in the coms. She'd gotten to meet her before Steve had. For some reason, Steve had to keep in a wince at the knowledge, his chest tightening. Seraphim had been his coms first and Natasha was the one she'd chosen to meet with. Given that the red head had given her a choice, which was fairly unlikely in the scheme of things. But that didn't matter. It still hurt him that Natasha was throwing it in his face, threatening him and acting like he didn't care about the other woman. If anything, he counted Seraphim as a close friend, a confidante. She knew more about him than almost anyone else and he trusted her because of it.

"Doesn't matter. You think she keeps denying you because she only cares about Captain America? Get your head out of your ass and think for a minute. Who's the one that pulls you out of every rough spot, who reminds you that you're strong enough to take care of yourself? You think after five years she puts up with your dumb ass just because you're codename is famous? Give the girl more credit than that." Natasha ordered, a snarl on her lips.

"I never said that's what I thought of her." Steve fought back, ignoring the hurt that was flooding him.

"That's what you think all women want, isn't it? Well, get over it." He flinched a little when Natasha threw her towel on the floor and started stalking out of the gym, silent steps leaving him behind. "You ever think that maybe she's afraid of the exact same things that you are?"

The silence she left him in was more telling than any words she could say and Steve stalked over to the line of punching bags, throwing a fist into the first one in line with enough force to send it flying off of the reinforced hinge and into the wall, where it broke apart and splattered sand across the floor.


	5. Girl Day

**Two updates in one day, I'm on a roll. This is just a little girl bonding for you, as well as a little bit of character explanation. Hope you enjoy!**

The little shop they'd stopped in was fairly busy for a Friday afternoon, a bunch of women flocking to the sale that was advertised on the street corner down the block. That sign was the same reason Natasha had made the decision to check out the shop and the same reason that Eve had gone in with her. The little area was full of racks of clothing, women of all sizes digging through the racks with practiced ease. Most of them were dressed similarly to Natasha, who had donned a flowing emerald skirt and a lacy white top to combat the sun. Eve was dressed in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a long sleeved tee shirt with bell sleeves that covered her hands if she stood still. Her feet were pushed into another pair of painfully high heels and she followed Natasha through the store, catching any articles of clothing that the other woman threw at her.

Over the course of their shopping excursion, Natasha had taken to handing Eve whatever she thought would fit her best, frowning when Eve didn't show her the fruits of her labor. They'd been through two stores already and Natasha had one small bag while Eve hadn't bought anything, intent on just getting to know the other woman. That was what the day was all about. Well, getting to know Natasha and finding dresses to wear to the party Tony was throwing that night. Eve had promised, after some needling from Maria and Nova, that she would attend, making it out to be one of the three social events of the year she was forced to make an appearance at.

"Let's go try some of these on. We have enough for a good selection." Natasha offered. Eve nodded with a small smile, not used to seeing such a soft side to the assassin. She'd been friends with her for about a week and a half and Eve had yet to figure out why Natasha had picked her to be her friend. Even Nova was surprised by their immediate bonding, claiming it was unnatural and suspicious. Of course, she'd shut up when Natasha had allowed her to borrow a pair of Louis Vuittons, but Eve still thought about it sometimes. Natasha wasn't one to trust easily and she figured there was some sort of ulterior motive under all the smiles and the shopping dates.

They'd already been out to lunch three times since the original lunch date and Natasha had a habit of popping up whenever Eve was feeling even the slightest bit lonely. Hell, she'd even managed to get herself access to the floor Maria and Eve worked on, waltzing in like it shouldn't have been impossible. Eve had taken it all in stride, wondering just what it was that Natasha was looking for.

"Here, you try this one." Eve tugged out one of the dresses in her pile that she'd picked out with Natasha in mind, handing the dress over to the other woman and attempting desperately to hide her own hopeful expression. The red head blinked at her as she took it as if she'd surprised her, glancing at the dress in question for a moment with a surprisingly empty expression. Eve wondered if she had done something wrong, considering she didn't really know what would be considered rude to the assassin. "Are you alright? You don't have to try it on if you don't want to, I just thought it would look nice."

"No, I'll try it. Thank you." Natasha shook her head slightly as if to reorient herself and plastered on a smile, motioning for Eve to follow the attendant who had come out to get them rooms. Frowning a little in confusion, Eve followed the woman, not surprised when Natasha managed to talk her way into the room next to her. "Let me know when you're ready, I want to see what the dresses look like."

"Alright." Eve called back as she walked into her own fitting room, hanging the dresses on the hooks that lined the walls. Most of the dresses were far too revealing for her to actually wear out anywhere, much less to one of Tony Stark's famous parties, but she hadn't had a chance to explain to Natasha why she wore clothing that covered her so thoroughly. As sure as she was that Natasha knew the base story, the other woman had yet to see the damage that had been done to her body.

Kicking off her heels, Eve stripped and grabbed the closest dress, pulling the gauzy material over her head and settling it into place.

The pale yellow dress was beautiful and Eve smoothed out the skirt, twisting this way and that. The mirror in the dressing room wasn't the best, but it gave her a good impression of what would be seen if she even thought about wearing the dress without a cover up over it, the scars on her body almost silver in the harsh lighting. Fighting the urge to frown at her own reflection, Eve twisted a little, moving her hair away from her back so that she could gauge just how much someone would be able to see if she wore her hair up.

The raised scars along her back were clearly visible over the low back of the dress and Eve sighed deeply. She wasn't ashamed of the scars, there was nothing to be ashamed of, but she hated the stares, hated the judgment that followed someone seeing what had been done to her body. Only other SHIELD members understood and even then it was harder than she liked to feel comfortable in her own skin.

"Do you have a dress on?" Natasha asked from what sounded like right outside Eve's door. Eve flinched out of her thoughts, looking down at her exposed arms with some worry. The scars on her arms weren't as bad as the ones on her back, but Natasha hadn't shown any recognition to the marks that almost blended in with her porcelain skin. Of course, the assassin had probably noticed the scars on the backs of Eve's hands, but she hadn't said anything about the large Xs that crossed them, instead pretending they didn't exist. Honestly, Eve wished more people were kind enough to do that. It wasn't just the stares that bothered her. It was the questions too. Questions she couldn't answer without putting her own life and the lives of others in danger.

"Uh, hold on just a minute!" Eve called back, slipping the pretty yellow dress up over her head and grabbing one that she had picked that had sleeves and a high neckline. It was a dark grey that would put off the red in her hair and Eve tugged it on quickly, ignoring the rush of annoyance she felt at her own insecurities. Fitting the dress into place, Eve opened the door to the room without thought, letting Natasha slip into the doorway.

"That one is… interesting?" Natasha asked slowly, her tone questioning. Eve glanced in the mirror and blushed, the dress not quite as beautiful as it had looked on the rack. It made her look kind of like a schoolmarm and she laughed a little with a nonchalant shrug.

"It looked better on the rack, obviously. I like that one on you. It's beautiful." Eve turned her attention to the emerald dress that Natasha had tried on, the one she'd snuck into her pile and given to her right before they'd gone into the rooms. It fit her perfectly, a sweetheart neckline that hugged her curves and accentuated her natural waistline. It was fitted in the top and flared out in a smooth motion towards the bottom hem, a hemline that hit just above her knees. It was modest and beautiful, black stitching along the waistline that swirled into vines and flowers that continued down the skirt. The color matched her eyes and Eve smiled, happy with her contribution.

"Thank you. Try on the red one next." Natasha pulled at the next dress in Eve's pile, one that was just as skimpy as the other one that Natasha had chosen. Eve forced her smile to stay in place as the other woman twirled and made her way back into her own fitting room, missing the frown that tilted Eve's lips down as soon as she was out of sight.

Pulling the red dress off of its hanger, Eve took off the dress she'd pulled on hastily, slipping the red one over her head. It fell into place smoothly, the soft material sliding against her skin. She twisted it slightly to get the top part to sit right, eyeing her reflection as she did so. It brought out the tint of red in her auburn curls and, for the first time in years, she felt beautiful in a sleeveless dress. Tying the halter top into place, Eve spun, the crimson skirt twirling out around her. The skirt was a good length, stopping just a few inches above her knees, and the top dipped low in the front, leaving her back completely open. Turning her back to the mirror, she pulled her hair over her shoulder and stared at the scars that marred her back, the raised marks pulling her attention away from how beautiful she felt and leaving behind the same sour taste on the back of her tongue that the image always gave her.

The scars along her arms and legs stood out as soon as she chose to see them, ruining the effects of the beautiful dress that she instantly fell in love with. It was perfect, perfect for someone without her background. Perfect for someone like Nova, who had escaped the rubble with minimal scarring.

The door to her dressing room opened without warning and Natasha's head poked in, her mouth open to say something. Before she could get whatever it was out, her eyes slid to the mirror and Eve flinched when she realized she'd seen what she was trying desperately to hide.

"Eve…" Natasha's soft voice brought a blush along Eve's cheeks and she let her hair fall back into place, covering the worst of the damage and effectively hiding half the dress from her newest friend's curious expression. She slipped in and closed the door behind her without a second thought, obviously not worried about anyone seeing her trade rooms. "That dress is gorgeous on you."

"You don't have to say that." Eve informed the woman, already knowing that she looked rather grotesque with the scarring along her body. She could feel Natasha's eyes running over her limbs, taking in the imperfections and all the marks that adorned her fragile skin. The urge to hide came over Eve, but she fought it, knew that it was too late to try and keep this secret from the assassin. She probably knew about the reports, all of the coverage of her abduction and subsequent torture, but she obviously hadn't looked at the pictures, hadn't dug deeply. All Natasha would know from the reports was that Eve hadn't said a word to her captors and that was all that really mattered, in the grand scheme of things. Little insecurities or the marks left behind on her psyche didn't really matter to SHIELD, the old or the new.

"I'm not lying. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Natasha insisted, reaching out. Eve fought a flinch, her mood plummeting when a flash of hesitation ran over Natasha's face. As stupid as it was, Eve knew she could trust Natasha. She'd been nothing but nice to her since they'd met and it was only a matter of time before she figured out that Eve was a lot more messed up than she'd originally realized. She didn't want to make the other woman question herself and she held incredibly still when Natasha's hands landed on her shoulders, turning her to face the mirror in the room.  
"Look at this dress."

Eve complied as Natasha took her hair in her able hands and started twisting the curls up, off her back and into a knot on the top of her head. Some of the curls fell along her shoulders, but Eve knew what Natasha was trying to say as she gave her a good view of her body in the dress, showing her just what it would look like if she wasn't self-conscious, if she wasn't afraid of what everyone would see.

"It fits you like a glove and I'm pretty sure you'd make the Captain shit a brick if he could see you." Natasha quipped, smirking a devilish smirk. Eve snorted, shaking her head slightly as Natasha shimmied her shoulders just a little, adding the affect to her words.

"The Captain won't even know I'm there. Besides, I thought you said you were dressing me up to be the Sergeant's arm candy?" Eve reminded the woman, running her own fingers up her bare arms, the small stutter of scars puckering along her skin. They were fairly smooth against her fingers, most made with surgical precision. The men who had hurt her had known what they were doing and they were good, the best, at their jobs. They'd crafted the most painful responses out of her body with the smallest cuts, pulling the agony from deep inside like masters of their craft. Eve knew every inch of scarring on her body with painful recognition. Nights spent huddled in the corner of a damp cell flashed before her eyes, fingers pressed into gaping wounds, attempting to stop the blood flow even when she knew it was useless. She'd memorized every line, every cut, had run her fingers over them long after they had healed, as if she could still stop the pain from escaping through the marks that lined her skin.

"Well, I might have ulterior motives. If you don't want to wear this tonight, that's fine. But I think we should still get it. It's beautiful and I might have a shawl that would match somewhere deep in my closet." Natasha informed her with a mischievous grin. Eve couldn't fight a responding smile, knowing that Natasha wanted to help her. Their friendship was odd, yes, and fairly new, but that didn't mean she didn't know a lot about the woman in the dressing room with her. They'd been on coms together almost as long as she'd been with the Captain. Five years was a long time, even to assassins and spies.

Turning, Eve took in the dress Natasha had on, her nose scrunching as she took in the hot pink wrap gown she had on. It clashed terribly with Natasha's deep red hair and pushed against her body in all the wrong places. The shiny material didn't even look like it was soft, more like tin foil than anything else.

"Is that a peacock feather?" Eve asked seriously, pointing to the right shoulder of the dress. Natasha laughed out loud, dropping Eve's hair to press her hand over the offending feather.

"Yes, yes it is. Now, try on this one if you don't want to wear that one to the party." Natasha turned to the dresses that Eve had brought in with her and pulled out a black, lacy gown that went to the floor. It had a red slip under the black lace that would go to about mid-thigh and it sported long, bell sleeves in the same lace. It would cover up her scars without being hot and stuffy, artfully hiding everything she wasn't ready for the world to see.

"Alright." Eve conceded as the other woman set a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Don't worry so much about what the rest of the team will think. They're mostly idiots anyway." Natasha informed her, smiling fondly. Eve laughed and waved the other woman out, silently agreeing with her. She'd only worked with the rest of the Avengers on a few missions, but none of them worked quite like Strike Team: Delta or the Captain. She much preferred Natasha to someone like Thor and thanked the gods that she was the one who had decided she needed to meet her and not one of the other members of the Avengers.

She wasn't ready for that yet.


	6. Explosive

**Hello everyone! I apologize for not putting the proper warnings on the chapter before this, since there is the mention of torture. There will be violence in the next few chapters. Nothing particularly bloody or grotesque will be explained, however there is a fight scene that takes place. I hope you're all ready for part one of Stark's party! Let me know what you think and thank you all for the reviews! I love hearing from you!**

Steve wasn't quite sure what to say as he walked into the decorated depths of the communal floor of the Tower, the slacks and button down shirt that Natasha had set out for him on his frame. He'd forgone the suit jacket and loafers, opting for his favorite leather jacket and motorcycle boots. He had no intention of dressing up for another press moment with the team, he'd had enough of those to last a life time while he was being forced to answer questions on Capitol Hill after the Triskellion disaster and his subsequent recruitment of Bucky back to the side of the good. Or at least as good as they could be at the moment.

This party was a launching party for some obscure form of Stark Tech that he had no idea how to use, though he was getting better and better at figuring technology out as time went on. It hadn't taken him long to get used to color TV or things like cell phones, which he had to admit were quite handy. Of course, playing up his inability to use tech kept him from having to do patrol duty or having to listen to Stark talk about certain science experiments he was working on at any given time, so Steve had just decided to let the other man think he was still a man out of time, instead of a man that was adjusting quite nicely to the current world.

Bucky walked through the gathered civilians with him over to the bar and Steve knew his friend was just as well adjusted with the tech of the new computer age. Of course, Bucky had had a lot more time to get used to things than Steve had, even if he was brainwashed half the time. The nice thing about the imprinting they did was that it gave him the knowledge to use any technology he was presented with at any given time. Steve didn't have that background and instead worked on the assumption that he could figure it out as he went along, which had gotten him into trouble on more than one mission. Yet another reason why he would always be grateful to Seraphim, who had perfected the art of talking him through technical jargon in just enough time to save his team from certain death.

"There you are, Cap-cicle, Robo-Cop." Steve held in a wince at Stark's greeting, instead reaching out to shake hands with the billionaire. He missed the rapier wit of Howard, having found that his son was a lot more confrontational. Howard was a good time man and Tony was the type who would set a guy on fire because he thought it was funny. That was why they clashed so often. That, and the fact that Steve didn't trust him any further than he could throw him. Stark might have made the decision to give his life for the world once, but he'd almost destroyed it not three years later with Ultron. Steve figured anyone who questioned his motives just had to look at the past he'd had with the man.

"Stark." Steve managed to get out while Bucky just sent the man a dark look, one that promised death and destruction in the near future. Hopefully, that would pass in the next few minutes. Steve wasn't sure he could talk Bucky out of a homicidal rage against Stark and he wasn't sure he would want to if it did, indeed, happen. It would almost be funny to see Bucky throw Stark out the ninety fifth floor window. Sure, his suits would probably come out and save him, but the novelty would keep Steve calm for weeks to come. And he definitely needed some kind of buffer between his own scorn and the other man's insulting wit.

"Whoa, is that the Widow?" Stark turned without waiting for a response, motioning to the elevator doors with a flourish. There were about a dozen party guests between Steve and the elevator, but he could see straight over their heads to his redheaded teammate.

She hadn't talked to him since the morning in the gym and he was still a little surprised that she'd bothered to lay out clothes for him and Bucky to wear for the night. When she was annoyed, she tended to ignore him, pretend like he didn't exist at all. That hadn't worked as well as she had hoped, apparently, but he was still surprised to see her dressed in a beautiful emerald dress, her hair pinned up and off her neck. Maria Hill walked in with her and another woman. He was sure he'd seen the other woman around the Tower before, probably an analyst or Hill's elusive secretary. They'd been introduced, if he put his mind to it he could probably pull her name out of the cobwebs of his mind, but he didn't bother. Hill's secretary rarely made appearances as press parties and usually skipped out on team bonding days, not that he blamed her in the least. If he had to put up with Stark's whining because he lost one more game of Parcheesi, Steve himself would be the one jumping out the window of the nine fifth floor, just to put himself out of his misery.

All three women looked beautiful, dressed up in diverse, yet elegant, ways. Natasha was in the emerald dress that hit just above her knees and had black stitching throughout the skirt, stitching he knew would take months by hand. Her red hair was pinned up in an intricate twist and her feet were in black pumps, putting her taller than usual and allowing her the height to scan the room, probably on the lookout for Barton.

Hill was dressed in black pants that hugged her legs and a conservative white top that was half covered by her patented leather jacket. Her hair was in a sleek ponytail and her eyes flickered around the room, taking in everyone and everything. It wasn't uncommon for Hill to completely forego dresses, instead choosing outfits that were simple to fight in. Natasha could fight in anything, and had, and the other women in the room would be more likely to run if trouble started. Hill was always the one to think of the civilians and he was sure she had a wealth of weapons hidden under her leather jacket while Natasha, on the other hand, probably had an entire arsenal in her small handbag. It was amazing what his partner could pull out of a handbag the size of an envelope.

The other woman with them was dressed in a floor length gown that hugged her curves. Fairly short, the most eye catching feature on her was her wild mane of auburn hair. It was long and hung down to her waist, spilling over her shoulders in curls and wild waves. He swore he saw the twinkle of small charms and he could just make out braids that twirled through the mass, even as he focused a little more on the dress. Whoever she was, the dress she was wearing fit her perfectly. It was long and lacy, covering most of her exposed skin classily, yet leaving little to the imagination. Back in his day, it would have been considered indecent as the red slip under the lacy material only went down to about mid-thigh, but in the new millennium it was practically a nun's habit. He found it surprisingly refreshing to see someone who wasn't showing her body shamelessly and was surprised to see that the woman was talking to Natasha, who laughed and answered back in a surprisingly genuine display of affection.

Natasha knew how to mingle with the best of them and made a habit of charming the press to make sure that she was left fairly alone. Any untoward questions about her person were usually fielded by someone else on the team, otherwise Natasha took care of it in a calm, cool, and collected manner. At least, in front of the cameras. Either way, the woman who walked around the parties and press releases wasn't the Natasha that Steve knew. The closest alias he'd seen was Natalie Rushman, the cover she'd used to spy on Stark. She slipped into the habits and mannerisms nicely, rarely letting her true colors show until the rooms were cleared of anyone but the people she trusted. The reason Steve was so surprised to see her laughing at something the woman who had come in with them said.

Steve made a mental note to talk to the other woman and figure out just who she was before pushing the matter out of his mind and turning back to the bar to accept a beer from the bartender. He'd been to enough of Stark's parties for the bartenders to know his order by heart. They were also aware that he couldn't get drunk, though Stark had set up a very serious limit to the amount of alcohol he, Bucky, and Thor were allowed to drink. Apparently, he wasn't very happy when they'd drank him out of Scotch and Vodka during the New Year's Eve party the year before, all three of them testing their limits. It was safe to say that their collective tolerances were very high.

"Don't stare too hard at the pretty ladies, Captain Underpants. Don't want them to think you actually have feelings." Stark clapped Steve on the back and it took all of his self-control not to swing around and show Stark just what he did to his 'feelings'. The Avengers had enough trouble with the government without it getting out that Captain America was taking swings at Tony Stark, though, so he kept the impulse buried beneath years of carefully culminated self-control.

"You know, some days…" Steve muttered to Bucky, who just glowered at Stark's back.

It took a while for the party to really get started, but Steve found himself sitting with Natasha and Barton, who had come up from his apartment to join the festivities. The archer was twirling his drum sticks through his fingers and Steve swore he was wearing makeup, though he had no definitive proof that it wasn't just his imagination. Thor had allowed Steve a few splashes of the Asgardian mead he'd brought with and Steve was feeling pretty good about himself as the night rolled on.

Around midnight, he turned to check on Bucky, not surprised to see that the other man was still perched on a stool by the bar right where he'd left him, twirling a beer bottle before him in a familiar motion. Steve was surprised, however, to see that the wisp of a woman Natasha had come into the party with was sitting beside him, not looking the least bit uncomfortable to have a known HYDRA assassin not five feet away. Her hair was still a mess of curls and braids, her finger tracing the rim of her glass daintily. It didn't look like she was drinking hard alcohol. In fact, if he had to venture a guess from the color and the consistency, Steve would guess she was drinking Sprite. He couldn't make out what the woman was saying but her lips were moving as if she was speaking to someone and the only person within hearing distance was Bucky. Her heels, thin black numbers with red bottoms, were on the floor and her feet were swaying in the air lazily. She shifted her weight a little and laughed, as if Bucky had actually answered her. Steve wasn't sure he'd seen the other man talk to a woman that wasn't Natasha in all the time Bucky'd been at the Tower and Steve turned to Natasha curiously.

"Who is that woman?" Steve asked, motioning to the girl. Hill turned from her conversation with Pepper, eyeing the woman he'd motioned to like she knew her. Her gaze turned to him in an almost suspicious way before she looked to Natasha, waiting for her to answer.

"Oh, that's Evangeline. She's Maria's assistant." Natasha informed him with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. Steve frowned a little, wondering just what Natasha was hiding. She'd barely glanced at the girl and didn't look even a little concerned that she was in a conversation with a man who could kill her without even meaning to. Bucky would never intentionally hurt someone, Steve believed that deeply, but he also was very aware that the woman next to Bucky was about half his size. If he grabbed her wrist too hard, it would snap in half easily.

"Don't worry so much, Cap. She's not going to hurt him or anything. Eve is one of the best agents I know." Hill comforted him, smiling a little as she looked over at the woman again. Steve had to fight back the urge to ask why the hell a girl like her, pretty enough and obviously good at her job, was talking to a known assassin at a Stark party. He didn't mean to get defensive about Bucky, but he didn't want the other man to get hurt because some woman thought he was interesting in a passing fancy.

"She's surprisingly calm around someone who could kill her." Barton offered nonchalantly, eyeing the couple as well. Steve scowled at him, not interested in having someone else voice his thoughts in such a crude way. Barton was now openly watching Bucky and the woman, as if Bucky wouldn't realize that he was being watched. Bucky might have put his Winter Soldier days behind him, but that didn't mean he wasn't still one of the best assassins in the country.

"Yeah, you should see her while she works." Natasha snorted, catching Steve's attention. He turned to ask her what it was, exactly, that the woman did, when he heard it.

A slow ticking. It was faint, small enough under the loud music playing in the background. Steve turned to face the large glass wall, searching for the source of the noise. He knew that noise and it never led to anything good.

"Do you…" Steve started to turn to ask his team what they thought of the noise. It was already too late.

The protective glass that lined Stark's Tower imploded, shards bursting through the air. Steve dove towards the floor from the couch he was sitting on, yanking Natasha and Maria Hill down with him and covering their heads protectively with his hands. A deafening silence rang in his ears for a moment, the world muffled around him as he started to move, Natasha pushing up violently from under his arm, ready to defend herself.

Slowly, the world started to come back into focus as he made his way to his knees, eyes sliding to the gaping hole in the glass wall. Men and women in dark uniforms with gas masks and guns were pouring through the opening, shooting off gas grenades as they went. Half of the party goers were on the floor, bleeding or stunned, while the other half were screaming and running away from the source. Steve reached out automatically for his shield, groaning when he realized it was on the other side of the room, propped against a wall where it was essentially useless. Natasha was pushing up into a crouch next to him, a gash above her eye leaking blood down the side of her face. She pulled two guns out from under her skirt like a professional and he had a moment to be thankful she was there before he was turning to check on Bucky.

Any sort of violence was always concerning where the other man was concerned, there was always a chance of flashbacks and uncontrolled rage. Steve fought surprise when he saw that Bucky was no longer at the bar, but under it, the woman he'd been sitting with tucked under his arm and his murderous gaze locked on the HYDRA agents that were invading. The woman under his arm was pushing against his chest, saying something and motioning towards the window like she was trying to order him around and Steve had a moment to be concerned for her wellbeing before he was up and moving, dashing towards his shield.

He didn't get far, one of the HYDRA agents tackling him to the side. Grunting, Steve threw the first punch, the happy buzz of Asgardian alcohol leaving his system.

It was about damned time he beat some sense into the HYDRA brigade.


	7. Falling for Cap

**So, I'm posting two chapters today because I want to hear what everyone thinks about this scene. Eve finally meets Steve, though not in the best way possible, but I'm sure you've already realized that. I apologize in advance, you'll see why. I hope you all enjoy, let me know what you think!**

 **Warning: Physical Violence**

The world turned in a dizzying swirl, Eve reaching out to steady herself against the bar only to find the warm, hard chest of a man. Her eyes slid open and she was staring up at the Sergeant, who was glaring death glares at the source of the loud explosion that had knocked a spray of bullet proof glass into them. Turning slightly to eye the damage to the building and the people, Eve let out a curse as she realized that the HYDRA agents were trickling in like black roaches called to a feast, over a dozen agents already in the building. The Sergeant hadn't moved from his spot with her, hidden under the counter of the bar where he'd pulled her a second before the blast had gone off. All she'd felt was the cool steel of his arm snagging around her waist before the world had distorted into a swirl of violence and burning pain, the pain in her skull most prominent.

"Sergeant, you need to get out there and help them." Eve ordered, pushing away from his chest and his protective hold. The Sergeant looked down at her like he was considering throwing her over his shoulder and making a run for the nearest exit. She glared right back, knowing she could bully him into doing what she wanted, so long as her head stopped spinning. She was a communications' specialist, goddamn it, it was her job to make people listen to her, even when they didn't want to. God knew she had enough practice at that particular aspect of the job.

"Your head hit the bar when we came down. Possible concussion. Civilian casualties need to be limited. My mission is to keep you safe." He repeated like a mantra, the words falling from his lips with little to no feeling, sounding almost robotic in his deep, unaffected voice. Eve pressed a hand up against her forehead, not happy when it came away painted an ugly, familiar crimson. The ache in her head was starting to make sense as she refocused back on the Sergeant.

"Listen here, Sergeant. I am your commanding officer while in the field, so what I say, goes. Your mission has been changed. You even try to argue and you can kiss your security clearance goodbye. No more gym, no more shooting range, no more Avengers' kitchen. Just you, your apartment, and the cafeteria. I might even cut the cafeteria off the list." Eve snapped, blinking quickly to get past a wave of dizziness that swamped her. She knew without a doubt that the Avengers would need his help. The original team was all accounted for besides Dr. Banner, but backup would need time to get to the Tower. Eve intended to ensure that that time wasn't wasted and that she didn't lose any soldiers during the wait.

"Your clearance level doesn't allow you to change my orders." The Sergeant shook his head after a moment, strong jaw clenched tightly shut against whatever else he might have said. His hair was falling in his face and he was sporting a good few scratches from the bullet proof glass, his white shirt slowly soaking up the patches of crimson. Eve glanced at the way he was sitting, crouched like he would spring up at any moment, eyeing the knife in his belt and hoping to Odin he wouldn't kill her for her next move.

"Sorry, Serge. I don't like that answer." She muttered, slipping under his right arm that was braced against the bar with all the ease and grace of a trained gymnast, snatching the knife as she rolled away from him and further into the wreckage. The roll sent a dizzying wave of nausea through her stomach, but she was up on her feet in seconds, the glass grating into her soft feet as she spun to face the Sergeant. "Get the Captain his goddamned shield or so help me god…"

She didn't have to speak twice, the Sergeant was already on his way, grey eyes flashing thunderstorms in his wake. Eve fought a wave of unease at the thought that she would pay for that someday soon, probably in a not so subtle way, spinning to face the fight.

The Captain was fighting five of the HYDRA grunts by himself, holding his own even without his shield handy. He was the closest to the edge of the building and Eve wouldn't be getting anywhere near him. Not with the swarm of people running and screaming around her, as if they hadn't see a fight before. Eve was used to the chaos and was easily able to tune out everything else that was going on around her, even the screams of injured civilians.

Her eyes flickered to Natasha second. Natasha had a gash similar to Eve's that was spilling blood across the side of her face, the widow bites on her hands flaring as she shoved them into one of the HYDRA assholes' jugulars, setting them off with vicious intent. Barton wasn't far from her, his hand-to-hand coming along nicely. He'd pulled a gun but his bow wasn't in sight. He probably hadn't brought it with to the party. Thor went flying past the hole in the glass wall, the clouds roiling behind him and lightning slamming into one of the three jets that were stationed outside the building, obviously where the HYDRA agents had come from. Stark was out with him, blowing holes in the jets and raising hell in his bright red metal suit. Bruce Banner was nowhere to be seen, but he hadn't shown up for the party either and that was a small miracle in itself. HYDRA would be the least of their problems if the man had decided to make an appearance after what he'd done to Natasha.

Eve pressed into the flesh of her right arm, the stick-on communicator lighting up at the feel of her fingerprints. Her inner ear hummed for a moment before her coms went live, a quick pass code typed in before a ringing filled one ear. She never went anywhere without a mobile coms unit and she took a moment to appreciate Nova's insane genius. She was so buying the woman coffee if she survived this.

"Did someone just blow a hole in Stark's ugly Tower?" Sam Wilson, one of the Captain's best friends and someone Eve had met before, picked up the line. He was sarcastic at the best of times, downright hilarious at the worst. She'd grown accustomed to his banter and he was one of the few people who actually didn't give a flying fuck who she was in real life. As long as she kept Cap alive and moving, he couldn't care less who she was so long as she wasn't HYDRA.

"It would look that way. How fast can you get the team here?" Eve asked, dropping to the floor when someone took aim and shot at her, the bullet whizzing past. She wasn't trained for full combat, having only been sent to the Ops Academy for a two week trial period before she'd been transferred to SciOps. She'd taken a credit with the widow bites in her last year but didn't have her own set to pull out. The only thing she had of use was the Sergeant's knife and her coms unit, which wouldn't get her very far. If worst came to worst, she could always steal a gun. Her aim wasn't spot on unless she got some throwing knives, but it was better than being defenseless in the midst of battle.

"Already on our way. Got the witchy one and the Colonel, don't know where Speedy got off to. Vision left half an hour ago to go get Wanda something to eat and hasn't been back. He'll probably be there soon." Sam informed her critically. Nodding to herself, Eve squeaked embarrassingly when a strong, hard arm wrapped around her waist and she was yanked back, a round metal contraption shoved in front of her before she could stab the person holding her.

"You take this." The Sergeant ordered as bullets pinged off the Captain's shield, bullets meant for her. The dizzying feeling of the world spinning without her took over for a moment and Eve shook her head, fighting to keep conscious. She wasn't about to let a concussion take her out of the game, especially when not only civilian lives rested on her shoulders, but so did the lives of her team.

"Are you there?" Sam's startled, slightly worried, voice rang in her ear and caught her attention but she ignored it as the Sergeant dropped her on her feet, leaving her staggering with the shield in her hand while he spun to take off towards the elevator, which was stuck and trapping civilians on their floor, his left arm whirring as he swung it in a tight circle. Switching her position so she was crouched behind the shield, Eve tapped out another code on the arm plate, wincing when a crash emanated from that coms channel.

"We have civilians still on the floor and HYDRA agents everywhere. Where is the backup?" The Captain's voice came over the coms and Eve took a deep, calming breath, steadying her head and her nerves. God, she hated combat. There was a reason she'd taken a desk job after her training and this was it. Forcing herself to move, Eve pushed to her feet and surveyed the scene again, taking in the positions of everyone on the floor even as a HYDRA agent swung around and sighted her behind the shield.

The shield was too large, too heavy, she couldn't fight with it, if she could fight at all. She wasn't about to leave the team by themselves. Maria was turning towards her, eyes wide and glittering with rage when she realized Eve hadn't taken the evacuation route like everyone else, but she wasn't about to let her friends or her team get killed just because she wanted to be a secret. Apparently, fate had decided that she no longer needed her anonymity.

"Cap, shield is coming at you now." Eve spoke into the coms firmly and saw what happened next in slow motion. The Captain whirled, eyes searching even as she flipped the shield so it was laying down and threw it, the best Frisbee throw she could muster. It was enough. His azure blue eyes met her own dull hazel with something akin to confused horror, right as Natasha turned with a gun out, red curls flying from the careful updo she'd spent over half an hour perfecting.

The world burst into action as Eve dove frantically to the side, diving into a somersault roll as a bullet tore through where she had been standing moments before. Natasha pulled the trigger and Eve rolled to her feet, the Sergeant's knife still in hand, right as the HYDRA agent who had meant to kill her fell to the ground, his body flopping forward.

"Get the hell out of here, Evangeline!" Maria shouted into her own coms unit, even as Eve stalked towards the other woman. She was fighting three HYDRA agents and going to lose if someone didn't do something quickly. Eve was the only one within distance and she would not stand by and watch Maria die. She wasn't going to stand by and watch any of them die and she sure as shit wasn't about to run away in the face of a fight that she could help win.

"The Sergeant got the doors to the elevator open and the evacuation has started. Backup is about two minutes out." Eve informed them all. She heard a rough growl from whom she assumed was Natasha, but she ignored it, grabbing the fragile lace of the gown she loved and ripping it savagely, severing the bottom until it was fairly even with the red slip, dropping the fabric to the ground without care. Taking a running start, she jumped at the back of one of Maria's HYDRA agents, knife clenched in her hand as she landed on top of him.

She used the knife as an anchor, slamming it into his uniformed chest and holding on tightly to the handle. The rough material of his tactical suit grated against the cuts on her arms, legs, and body where the glass had cut through her skin, leaving behind pinpricks of blood and pain. Gritting her teeth again the pain, she pressed her feet into the man's back and pulled as hard as her arm allowed, yanking the knife to the side with brutal intent.

She was right. The knife was a well-oiled, ridiculously sharpened blade that slid through the man's body easier than almost any other weapon she'd ever used before, the blade about five inches long. It wasn't easy to move it, especially with the tactical suit and the other man flailing, trying to rip her off, but it was easier than it could have been. The man managed to club her in the side, knocking the breath out of her lungs even as she heaved again, blood spattering her hand. She was gratified when two of the other HYDRA agents broke off of their respective groups, the one from Maria already in her arms and one from the Hawk, one from the Captain starting to make their way over with blades raised.

"Eve! You aren't trained in combat!" Maria screamed into the coms, obviously thinking the louder she got the more Eve would listen. Eve just ignored her in favor of flipping her own body over the man she was perched on, ripping out the knife she'd stabbed into his chest as she rolled through the air to land on her feet. A wince slid over her face when her foot landed on something sharp and pointy, but there was nothing she could do to pull it out as she faced off with the three HYDRA agents who were now out to kill her.

She was faced with highly trained, highly volatile operatives each with blades of their own that were probably far more lethal than the ones in her hands when it was being wielded by her. Eve had been trained with two weapons, the widow bites and throwing knives, and the blade in her hand was neither. If they got close enough to strike, she was a dead woman.

"Anybody got a spare weapon?" Eve questioned lightly into the coms, glancing around her for signs of downed agents that she could scavenge from. On second thought, if she survived the day, she would have to make sure to scavenge before she invited the tactical suit wearing criminals to fight her. As it was, she was getting a little too close to the billowing hole in the wall as she backed away from them, but there wasn't much she could do to stop that. There were only two ways to go, out or in, and they were blocking her in.

It was a god send when three small throwing knives thumped into the wooden leg of a broken chair to her left, the aim and easily maneuverable weight distribution cluing her in as to who'd had time to help.

"Thanks, Hawk." She threw up the knife in her hand, grabbing it by the blade, balanced it, and threw all in the space of about a second. Her aim was true as it slammed into the mask of the man up front, his body falling as she spun and yanked at the first throwing knife. It slid out into her hand and she grabbed the other two in rapid succession, flinching when bullets started to slam the area around her. They weren't taking the time to aim and it was saving her life. If they were her agents, she'd have started screaming by that point, reminding them that wasting bullets was useless, but she wasn't about to remind the HYDRA agents of that. Instead, she flinched, dancing away from the bullets. Wood exploded from the broken chair she'd grabbed the knives from and she twirled out of the way, throwing two knives as she went in quick succession. One found the throat of the HYDRA agent she'd taken from the Captain and the other found the mask of the one she'd managed to snag from the Hawk, both falling with small splatters of crimson.

"Not trained in combat, sure trained in something." The Hawk's teasing lilt could be heard as Eve came to rest by the edge of the building, the world still spinning without her. She leaned over the edge and hurled, the sting of stomach acid burning her throat as her one drink of the night came back up with a vengeance. Eve took a moment to totter there, unsure if that was everything that needed to come up or if she'd need to hurl again.

"Concussion. Bad one." Came over the line in a rough voice, one that Eve rarely ever heard. The Sergeant hardly ever spoke into the coms when she was on it. She would have smiled proudly if her head wasn't pounding and she wasn't about to pass out and fall ninety floors to her death. It wasn't as surprising as it should have been when warm, hard hands grabbed at her arm, pulling her into a strong, vaguely familiar chest.

"Keep close, don't pass out." The Captain's strong voice ordered, his chest rumbling with his words. Eve pushed off of him and staggered upright, blinking quickly to alleviate double vision. It was mindboggling enough to have one Captain Rogers before her, two was way beyond her limit. Besides that, not even the first one listened to orders, she was pretty sure a second one would be much, much worse.

"Right." Eve shook her head quickly and tightened her grip on the last throwing knife of the bunch, over half her body sheltered by the Captain's shield. It was much less conspicuous from the back. All silver and shiny, with his muscled arm stuck through the leather loops, it looked like something out of a science fiction show.

"Hey! Eyes up." The Captain's hands shook her gently, her head wobbling a little with the force. Eve shook her head again, forcing a smile onto her lips as she glanced at the Captain. His face was pinched and blue eyes sharp, taking in her face and the blood that was leaking from her head with concealed fury. She understood. It was the same way she felt seeing the long cut that marred his broad chest, staining his nice, blue dress shirt a deep, dark crimson. But he couldn't act on those feelings. He had to keep his head on straight and she needed to help him do it. It was her job to keep the Captain alive and moving, no matter if it meant sacrificing her safety to do so.

"Don't you have a job to be doing somewhere?" She asked seriously, narrowing her eyes at him. The look was far more effective when she wasn't seeing two of him, both of the images wavering just slightly before she forced herself to focus back on what was happening around them. Most of the civilians had gone, down to the bottom floors and relative safety. Only her and the Avengers were left standing. Even those injured in the explosion had been evacuated, but Eve was pretty sure that was the Sergeant's doing, who had joined Natasha in a fight again six HYDRA agents.

"Doing it right now. We're going to get away from the opening. Got it?" The Captain ordered, peaking over his shield at the agents who were attacking them. Eve did too and saw that that wasn't going to work exactly how he wanted it to. Four HYDRA agents were in a half moon around them, forcing them back against the emptiness of open air. If it was the Captain, she knew what he would do. He'd either take out the HYDRA agents, who all had guns and nasty looking things like grenade launchers, or he would jump over the side to land on the street below. His options were severely limited with her in his grip and she turned to face the emptiness of ninety five floors above the New York City streets, knowing what she would order him to do. For once, he was going to fucking listen to her.

"This is going to suck." Eve muttered, taking a deep, deep breath to prepare herself for the stupidest decision she would ever make. The Captain reached to grab her again, intent on tucking her under his shield away from the danger, but she saw it just as he did, her heartbeat stuttering in her chest.

The grenade launcher was doing what it did best. Launching a grenade at them.

"I'm trusting you here. If I go splat, I'm haunting your ass." Eve said just as the Captain's face went white with horror. Eve twisted in his firm grip and threw the last throwing knife, aiming at the man who was about to sneak up on Natasha somewhere to their left and not waiting to see if the blade hit home like she knew it would. She just grabbed the Captain by the lapels of his leather jacket and launched herself at him, both of them tumbling over the side of the building and into a fall that would surely kill her.


	8. The Fall

**And here we are with the next chapter of the story. To anyone who actually reads these, I need some opinions. I'm planning on making this the first story in a series of OC centric romance stories. So, the question I have, is who should the next story focus on. We have: Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark, Pietro Maximoff, or Loki. (I'm also contemplating a Natasha Romanoff based fic, but that's still in the works. I have ideas for all the other ones I named.) So, leave a quick review with just a name for the next story and I'll tally up the results!**

 **Once again, thank you to everyone who reads and favorites and reviews, it's all super appreciated!**

 **Okay! So, here's the fall!**

Steve wrapped his arms tightly around the woman, his shield tucking under her as the wind raced past them, blocking any noise from his ears. All that was left was the bone chilling horror of falling ninety five stories to the concrete sidewalk below. His mind raced with possibilities, but he knew she wouldn't survive it. Evangeline, Seraphim, his Seraphim, wouldn't survive hitting the concrete below. Even if he manipulated it to hit first, there was no way. His body wasn't soft enough, they would hit the ground too fast, he couldn't save her on his own…

He had to admit that she was beautiful, not exactly what he'd imagined, but somehow softer, more feminine and definitely more of a fighter. She'd thrown him off the side of the building. He should have stopped her, tried to keep them up on solid ground, but they would have died there too. Stopping her from following her own orders was worse than not following them on his own. And now he was going to get her killed. She would have done the math, known he could survive the fall, and counted it worth it. He wanted to shake her to rattle whatever screws were loose in her head back into place. And then make her promise never to think of sacrificing herself for him.

They freefell with such grace that he promised God, Odin, Heimdall, even Thor himself that, should she survive, he'd make sure to let her know never to risk her life for him again. He wasn't worth her life.

"Head's up!" Steve spun in the air at the sound of a familiar voice on the coms, breaking through the rush of dead air in his ears. Relief crashed through him so hard that he swore it _hurt_. One arm detached from Seraphim to reach out and accept the hand Sam was stretching out for him, the other straining, sliding up to get a better hold on her, to support all of her weigh in his arm, to protect her head from hitting the shield. She'd already smacked it once, he was going to make damn sure she didn't get injured again.

Sam clasped his hand, grip turning to steel as he yanked Steve upright in the air. Steve grit his teeth as his shoulder pulled out of its socket, his own weigh and Seraphim's too much for one arm to handle after falling so fast. Searing pain spread up his arm, demanding he lose some of the weight. Steve refused to let go of the woman in his arms, instead just clenching his teeth against the agony. He had one arm wound around her back, up cradling her already injured head. Bucky had said she had a concussion, he wasn't sure of the details, but there was no way in hell he was going to allow anything to hit her in the head if he could help it. His shield was under her like a small cradle, almost big enough to fit her entire body into. Her legs dangled while Sam fought to fly them up to the jet that Rhodey was piloting. Steve had enough time to send up a prayer of thanks that Seraphim had the forethought to call on the other team of Avengers before he swung his focus on how they were actually going to get into the jet.

Sam swung him in the air once, twice, and let go, sending them careening into the open hatch of the jet. Steve landed on his feet, but automatically reached out for a steadying hand so he didn't fall off the back of the quinjet. Pietro was suddenly there, pulling him inside with a careful expression on his face.

"Who is the girl?" Pietro asked slowly, his accent muddling his words.

"I need to get her to a doctor, head trauma." Steve ordered, walking in to set Seraphim gently on the ground. She was unconscious, not a very good idea, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn't a doctor, he didn't know how to help or if waking her up would be a worse idea than letting her sleep.

They wouldn't be going to a regular hospital, that was out of the question at the moment. It was obviously too dangerous to be out in the open, especially when HYDRA had just attacked the fucking Tower and more than one of their agents had seen Evangeline. It was supposed to be one of the safest places for them, the third rebuild of the same fucking building. If Steve got a say in it, he'd tear the damned building down and be done with the stupid idea. Obviously, Stark's extensive protective measures were bullshit.

"Cap, how is she?" Natasha's voice in his ear was partially reassuring as Steve knelt down next to Seraphim, brushing her long, dark curls away from her face. She was markedly pale, her eyes closed and body motionless. Her dress was ripped and ragged, he'd seen her rip the bottom off, her bare feet leaking blood onto the quinjet floor. She had hundreds of small cuts along her legs, probably along her covered arms and her torso as well. Tacky blood covered the left half of her face as he cupped her cheek in his palm, the gash along her left temple still managing to produce a steady stream of the red liquid. Steve frowned deeply, turning when he heard feet landing in the quinjet. His hand slipped away from her face and he took her small hand in his instead, expression grim.

"Shit." Natasha ran over, Sam was giving rides, apparently. Hill wasn't far behind Natasha and it only took a couple minutes before the entire team was in the quinjet, all talking at once. "She's lost a lot of blood. Here, press this into the wound on her head. Head wounds bleed a lot, it's probably not a particularly large wound, but we have to get it to stop bleeding. Hill!"

"Is she going to be alright?" Hill's face was impassive, but the slight paleness was enough to clue Steve into the fact that she cared. He stumbled through his memories for a moment, quickly picking out the last time he'd seen Evangeline before. Damn it all to hell, he had met her before. Multiple times. She was quiet, a small smile with wide golden eyes. He'd thought she was pretty when they'd first met, but she'd quickly disappeared into the crowd and never resurfaced. Thinking back, it was obvious that she'd disappeared so he wouldn't hear her voice. It was smooth on the coms and she could yell like his ma back in the day, easily recognizable. If she'd spoken more than two words to him each time they had met, he might have put it together.

"Don't know. Where's Barton? He's had his fair share of concussions." Natasha ordered. Barton and Bucky both appeared from the crowd as the quinjet moved away from the disaster area, going straight toward the training center. Dr. Cho would be there and she was one doctor that Steve trusted immeasurably. She was as much part of the team as Hill.

"Depends how hard she hit her head. I'd faint if I jumped out of a building without a rope to catch me too." Barton shrugged and Steve wasn't the only one who bared his teeth at the asshole. Barton held up his hands in surrender and moved closer to kneel by Evangeline's head, brushing her hair away from the wound and starting to press around the area. "What happened?"

"She hit hard. I grabbed her off the stool when I heard the beeping, but pulled too hard. Knocked her head against the bar." Bucky spoke up, voice rough and form rigid. He looked pale and sweat soaked, as if he'd had the fight of his life and now wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He was staring at Evangeline like she would suddenly answer all his questions, even though she still lay limp on the ground.

"I say get her a blanket and a pillow, stop the flow of blood, clean her feet up a little bit. You won't know how bad the concussion is until she wakes up. Might be a bit of memory damage, we'll have to wait and see. Without seeing what happened I can't tell you. The good news is that she didn't pass out from the hit itself, so she should be alright. Bad news is that it could have taken a while for the swelling to start up." Barton shrugged and shook his head. Steve held in the urge to curse him, instead pulling off his leather motorcycle jacket and bundling it up so that they could place it under Evangeline's head. Barton took the gauze from Natasha and pressed it into Evangeline's wound, holding it there as the others went to work to carry out his orders.

"Here's one of the emergency blankets." Hill handed Natasha a folded up silver square that she pulled out of the first aid kit, which she shook open to reveal some sort of blanket. Steve waited as they laid it out over Evangeline, keeping his face as impassive as possible. He didn't want them to know how much Evangeline being hurt like this affected him. Fisting his right hand to stop the shaking, he kept her hand in his left, squeezing her fingers gently.

"Who's the kid?" Steve head snapped up at the sound of Stark's voice, not interested in dealing with his shit.

"Evangeline St. James, you've met her multiple times, Tony." Hill spoke before Steve could get a word off, her tone icy. Stark's frown brought a growl to Steve's lips as he actually looked at the girl like he'd be upset if she died. Did everyone in the fucking building know her but him?

"She's the one that went out a window with Captain Tight Pants? Poor kid. Probably gave her a heart attack, all that Spangly-ness." Stark quipped.

"What the hell was that? That was your Tower, your security, and your party. Where did those HYDRA goons come from? How did they get past your state of the art security? And why are you here, running your mouth, when you should be the one lying on the ground bleeding out?" Steve bit out, dropping Evangeline's hand and standing up to hover over the other man. It wasn't as effective when he wasn't in his suit, but that didn't matter. He could easily take Stark out of the equation. One strong hit would stop the man's heart in its tracks. Wouldn't even have to worry about that pesky shrapnel anymore.

"I have a personal bubble and you're encroaching on it. In fact, you might have popped it. If you could take a step back and reevaluate what you think is my fault and when, that would be great." Stark kept his tone cheery, but the dark look in his eyes was back. Steve glowered at him.

"You guys are hella loud." Steve whipped around, dropping to the floor when Evangeline's voice broke through their argument. Not before he shot another scathing look Stark's way, though.

"Did you just really use the word 'hella' in a sentence?" Hill asked, crouching down by Evangeline's head. Barton was still holding a cloth over the wound there, pressing firmly, and Evangeline winced when the pressure ratcheted up a notch, blinking quickly like her eyes were about to water. One of her hands snuck out from under the blanket and she reached to touch the wound, Steve snatching her wrist before she could do more damage. He kept his touch gentle, just enough to stop her, not enough to do any damage, and frowned down at her hand.

Along the back was a large scar in the shape of an X. It was slightly tilted to the left and he would have examined it more if she hadn't pulled away from him before he could, tucking her hand back under the blanket like she knew exactly what he was looking at. It was seared into his memory, the photographic memory the serum had given him working against him once again. It was easy to say she knew what he was looking at because it was obvious that the scar was old, healed to a silvery white mark on the back of her hand. What he wanted to know was who the hell did it so he could track them down and kill them.

"I hang out with Nova a lot." Evangeline forced a small smile on her face, full lips tilting just slightly. It was kind of horrific to see, especially with blood coating half her face, but Natasha's hard lines softened just a little on seeing it and Hill looked like she was going to collapse in relief. Steve wasn't quite ready to accept her good humor yet. He knew she was in pain, knew she was hiding it, and could see that her pupils were blown wide, the golden hazel almost gone into black holes.

"Too much, obviously." Natasha offered back, tilting her lips down at the girl. She had streaks of blood down the right side of her face, but nothing as brutal as what Evangeline was sporting. Natasha also had a split lip and a bruise growing on her neck that pointed to someone trying to strangle her. He was pretty sure he'd watched her send that particular HYDRA agent straight to hell itself.

"Hey, kiddo. Looks like you could use a good bath in Neosporin." Stark moved to hover over Evangeline's head and she squinted at him, eyes flickering for a moment. Steve wanted to reach out and club the man but held back, wondering if Evangeline actually wanted to see him.

"You'd be the first person I would call if that was needed. Please don't let him operate on me if I need surgery. I think I'd rather just die." Evangeline informed everyone. Steve actually let his lips quirk, appreciating the joke for what it was. A way to smooth all the ruffled feathers. Stark took it well enough with a loud laugh and a half hearted shrug.

"I wouldn't operate on you, kid. Too young, too pretty. Call me in ten years." Stark winked at her and she attempted to roll her eyes, wincing when that seemed to cause her pain. Steve tensed at the sight of her wince, wishing he could do something but knowing that it was useless to try. He was useless in medical situations unless otherwise directed. Following orders, he could probably help her. But no one on the quinjet was medically trained. If Dr. Banner had been there, he'd have known what to do, but he was gone somewhere far off, under the radar.

"We're here!" The quinjet shuddered a little as they landed and Steve scooped Evangeline up in one fell swoop, kicking his shield toward Natasha to carry in. He trusted his teammates enough to know they'd never take his shield. A decision like that would either make them stupid or dead. Either way, he would get the shield back.

"Hello again, Captain." Evangeline didn't even try to stop her head from lolling against his shoulder and Steve made no move to shrug her off, noticing a slightly slur to her speech. Her eyelids were drooping and he hoped like hell she didn't drop into sleep before she could get the help she so desperately needed. Striding purposefully towards the medical team that was waiting for them, he forced a smile for her, deciding to put on a good act to make her more comfortable.

"You know, when I said I wanted to meet you, I was kind of hoping it would be over coffee or lunch, not a HYDRA attack and jumping out of a building." He informed her gently, falling back into their pre-established routine. Teasing her was easier than letting her know how terrified he was that she was going to die at any moment. He wasn't sure where they were in their relationship, friends, partners, colleagues, but he was pretty sure it was too soon to let her know about his massive abandonment issues. At least, that was what Sam called them. Steve simply chose to realize that everyone left at some point in his life. Some had no choice, some went willingly, and others popped up again seventy years in the future as rogue assassins from a terror organization. Getting attached to people was a bitch.

"Yes, well, I thought our meeting should be interesting. Something to remember." A spark of humor lit her eyes and he had to force himself to lay her out on her gurney the medical staff had wheeled out, Dr. Cho at the head. The doctor was shouting orders at her nurses, at the Avengers that were injured, and probably at him, though he wasn't listening.

Evangeline had looked mighty fine throwing his shield to him. As far as first impressions went, she'd managed to make quite the splash.

He had to grit his teeth and clench his fists to keep himself from going after her as they wheeled her into the building, Dr. Cho already running test after test.

It was going to be a hell of a night.


	9. Natasha Pain in the A--

**So, after the fall!**

 **I put on a little question last time I updated, but considering I only got a couple responses and none of them agreed, I'll put it up again. This is meant to be a series of OC centric fics. If you would like to vote on which Avenger the next fic should feature, I take all votes into account. The choices are: Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark, Pietro Maximoff, or Loki. I've gotten Loki, Clint, or Bucky for answers so far, however Loki will take a little finagling to get him on Earth, so he might have to be the third or fourth fic. Let me know what you think and thank you to everyone who has commented! A few people have PMed me their ideas, so if you would like to do that, I'll be more than willing to have a conversation with you. In fact, feel free to PM me with whatever you like, I love talking. Lol.**

 **So, here's Steve's point of view after the fall.**

Steve ran a shaking hand through his hair, glad he'd taken the time to clean away the grime and dirt before he'd come down to the medical wing to check on Evangeline. His right arm was in a sling, a dislocated shoulder paired with a few strained muscles that would heal in a few days' time. He'd only allowed Dr. Cho to put a sling on him because he knew he needed her good will to get in to see Seraphim, who he now knew was named Evangeline St. James.

Evangeline had lived through the night and having her feet patch up, where they found a large piece of glass embedded in the sole of her right foot. No one could say how long she'd been walking around with it, but Dr. Cho had been sure to let them know it would have been incredibly painful. It should have slowed her down, maybe taken her out of the fight. Either way, it would have been almost enough on its own to send her into unconsciousness. He'd simply nodded along with the rest of the room, no quite surprised that the woman was strong. Natasha, Pepper, Maria Hill, Stark, Barton, Bucky, they'd all waited with him for news before going to get checked for injuries. Vision had made it to the fight right as it ended and purged the Tower with Thor, making sure that none of the HYDRA agents were left standing. They'd all returned to the Avengers training center and split up, Thor going to warn his lady, Dr. Foster, about the danger while Vision had gone to check on Wanda, who had gotten to the fight right as Evangeline and him had gone over the edge of the building.

Steve had been slowly working through everything he knew about Seraphim as well as anything he knew about Evangeline, Maria Hill's assistant, trying to come up with a working image of the woman who had pushed him over the edge of the building to save his life even if it meant costing her own. It had taken him a while to dig through various memories and link them, but he had a fairly clear picture.

Evangeline had been working with him for the last five years, since he'd woken from the ice and been cleared for active duty. She was a communications' specialist, something she claimed was just a fancy name for mission command or HQ. They'd put her with him because she was the best. That was what Nick Fury had told him. She knew what she was doing and did it well. He had no choice but to believe them and it had turned out that they were right. Even more importantly, Evangeline could give him a verbal ass whooping like no one's business. She knew when to dig in her heels and demand he follow her plan and when to let him go off the books. She knew just what to say to get him to do what she wanted and she used it mercilessly while on his coms.

She'd chosen not to meet him as Seraphim or use her increasingly concerning ability to get him to do whatever the hell she wanted instead of capitalizing on his grief and loss like any other agent would have done. Seraphim had been there for him during some of the darkest moments of his life and he hadn't bothered to look into who she could possibly be. He'd thought about it, more than a hundred times. Sometimes more than once a day. It would have been easy. If he'd put his mind to it, he probably could have figured it out without even asking any questions. But he hadn't because it had been against her wishes. If she hadn't been so against it, he'd have looked her up in less than a heartbeat.

It only made sense that she was in Stark Industries like Hill, that they worked closely together. Hill had been the one who had recommended her to Fury and she had been the one to help him with Project: Insight. After destroying Project: Insight and exposing HYDRA to the world, Seraphim had disappeared without a trace for four months. No one would give him information on where she was, all they said was that she wasn't HYDRA. She hadn't betrayed him. That was all the information he'd gotten until he'd finally almost gotten himself and about ten other agents killed on a mission in Barbados. Suddenly, her voice had snapped on the line and he'd been properly chastised for his behavior. His own relief at having her alive and back on his missions had been palpable and he'd been on his best behavior afterward, aware that she got winded easily and sometimes grunted like she'd been hit if he did something particularly stupid. After another two months, she had been back to her normal self.

Hill's assistant showed up a few weeks later. Evangeline didn't go to many parties and, whenever asked about her, Hill gave vague responses. They were all introduced to her once, to Steve's knowledge, and that was it. She'd been at the Christmas party the last two years, been there for the New Year's party, and a few others scattered celebrations, but she hadn't made a splash at any of them.

He'd known she was pretty, he should have at least been curious about a woman that didn't make any real attempt to dress up, didn't try to get attention. He should have known that she was different from the other women in the room. Honestly, when he'd thought about meeting Seraphim, he'd assumed that he would know her as soon as he laid eyes on her, that there would never be a question in his mind. There wasn't anymore, but how he had missed it, he didn't know.

Pausing outside the room he knew she was located in, Steve had to take a deep, calming breath. He wasn't sure he was ready to see her, he didn't want to see her wrapped up in bandages laying in a hospital bed. He wanted to see her like she'd been right away at the beginning of the party, dressed up and laughing. Happy and healthy. Apparently, that was too much to ask when it came to his friends, however. Even people who just spoke to him over coms devices were apparently in mortal danger. Knowing him was like a curse, a curse no one else saw swirling over his head.

Slowly pushing the door to the room open, Steve wasn't surprised to see Natasha perched on the chair by the bed, a book open in her hands. Running a hand through his hair, Steve straightened into his best military stance, the comfort of being at attention helping as he pushed into the room. Natasha looked up, eyes sliding over him quickly, taking in the damage. Most of it was hidden under the long sleeved sweater he'd pulled on, a long bandage and butterfly stitches covered the gash on his chest and she couldn't make out the bandage around his shoulder, keeping the joint in place. She could see the sling and the black eye, maybe make out the bandage around his thigh, but most of the damage would heal fairly soon. Maybe two or three days.

Natasha had a bruise running along her jaw and a set of her own butterfly stitches holding a small cut on her forehead together. She'd changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top that hugged her frame, her upper arm on her left side bandaged where a stray bullet had nicked her. Her dark red hair was pulled back away from her face and she had wiped off all traces of makeup, the split in her lip puffed up a little. He knew she'd gotten beaten up a little, but she'd come away relatively unscathed.

He let his gaze slide to Evangeline, tucked away in her bed. Her eyes were closed and she was still alarmingly pale. Someone had cleaned her up and the blood that had caked half her face was gone, a ragged gash cutting its way from her hairline, down her cheekbone, to just below her eye. It was held together by butterfly stitches and a bruise was already forming around the wound, dark green and mottled purple swelling along her face. Her auburn curls glimmered like a wild fire under the florescent lighting, washing out her skin and leaving her few freckles dark against the pallor. She was small, smaller than Natasha, looking like a porcelain doll laid to rest on the bed for the time being. Someone had dressed her in real clothing, a long sleeved black sweater and probably yoga pants, if he was gauging the clothing right. Natasha's comfort clothing. They would be a little big on her, but not by much.

"She woke up about an hour ago, asking questions. She remembers most of the fight and pushing you off the side of a building, but nothing afterwards, not even the conversation in the quinjet. The doctors say it's normal, that her brain's just protecting itself." Natasha spoke lowly, keeping her voice down to the bare minimum. Steve fought the urge to ask why no one had told him she'd been awake, instead just letting his friend tell him the most recent news. "Stark visited, Eve is now the proud owner of a brand spanking new Stark Phone with FRIDAY installed. Stark claims FRIDAY insisted because she works closely with Eve, so he gave FRIDAY to her. Since the Tower is decommissioned and he has JARVIS up and running, he doesn't need FRIDAY for the time being."

"What's that?" Steve nodded to a stuffed dog on the bedside table. It was a little golden retriever. It looked new but had an eye missing and a bandage wrapped around one foot.

"That's from Clint. He dropped it off after he heard she woke up, said it looks just like his dog, Lucky. I have no idea, but Eve liked it, so I didn't say anything." Natasha shrugged, raising an eyebrow at the thing like it personally offended her. "Maria comes in every twenty minutes to check on her, when she's not contacting all of her known operatives to see how the slip up in Stark's security happened. She hasn't found anything yet and it sounds like we're all going underground for the time being."

Steve forced back a wave of annoyance at the thought that the men on his team were bringing Evangeline presents, half wondering why he'd never thought of it. She'd saved his life more often than not and she'd gone over the side of the building with him to keep him safe. If he owed her something, he could have gotten her some flowers.

"Where are you going to go?" Steve asked seriously. Natasha went dark a lot. Still finding new covers just in case something went wrong. She had to have over a dozen new names under her belt and he figured that she would tell him little to nothing about where she would go. He usually had an emergency phone number and that was it. Just one way to contact her that only worked about half the time.

"I'm going to wait until Eve can be moved. There are identities she can take, maybe I'll take her with me. Maria is staying here, so someone has to protect her while she heals up." Natasha shrugged. Steve tensed at the thought of Evangeline being out of his sight, a frown tugging at his lips. Knowing who she was and not being able to contact her? He might go mad. He'd waited for so long that it would definitely drive him crazy not to be able to see her, make sure she was alright. The questions he had wouldn't get answered if she went away with Natasha. The woman would keep her from contacting him, he was sure, and it wasn't like Evangeline was overly excited to meet him. If he let her go now, she would disappear like smoke in air, never to be heard from again.

Steve slowly made his way closer to the hospital bed, eyeing Evangeline's hands. He'd noticed the scars earlier and they were still there, plain as day. If he focused on her skin, he could see them on every available surface. The backs of her hands, her neck, even her face sported a couple of concerning marks. Steve chalked it up to something he'd have to ask her about, insistent that he would be the one to take care of the girl. He couldn't just let her disappear with Natasha. The chances of him being able to see her again were too low if she disappeared.

"It would be easier if you had a place in mind. What if we went to my safe house? It's in the middle of nowhere and fairly safe. You, me, Bucky, and Evangeline. It would be a lot safer with all of us." He reminded her.

"And if someone comes to kill us? You think that we'll be ready for an attack?" Natasha was watching him carefully, like he was the problem at the moment. He figured she probably wasn't happy with him, he'd fallen out of a building with someone she'd grown to care about, but he'd managed to keep Evangeline alive and he planned on keeping that up. Nothing would hurt her again while she was in his care. They'd have to go through him first.

"Bucky and I are super soldiers and both of you are the best assassins in the world. I think she'll be safe." Steve informed her. Natasha frowned, glancing at Evangeline's prone body. She couldn't argue with his logic, it would get her nowhere. They both knew he was right. Now he just had to wait to figure out what it was she was going to do about that knowledge.

"What happens if she doesn't want to go with us?" Natasha asked slowly. Steve frowned at the thought, but knew it was a very real possibility. She had no connection to them other than the coms unit and her budding friendship with Natasha. He had no clue how long they'd known one another but figured it was around a week. If it was before that, Natasha would have yelled at him more than once. As much as Natasha pretended to be heartless, she was fiercely protective of the people she cared about.

"Then we'll find her another safe place to go." He informed her, unwavering. Convincing her wouldn't be hard, especially if he got Hill on his side, but he didn't need to remind Natasha of that.

"Fine. If she agrees to go with you, I will too. Now, are you going to stay here or do I need to kick you out?" Natasha asked, raising a challenging eyebrow. Steve grit his teeth, knowing that she was challenging more than just his presence. She wanted to know how much he _cared_. Knowing how much he cared gave Natasha leverage. No matter that they were friends, she still enjoyed having something over everyone and she already had enough on him to last several lifetimes. Giving her more was just like signing his death sentence.

"I just want to make sure a teammate is doing well. Calm down, Romanoff." He tilted his head back just slightly so she knew he was joking around, a smirk tilting his lips.

"You guys do know that people generally wake up when you talk while they're sleeping, right?" Steve hid a wince when Evangeline's voice broke the silence, her eyes blinking open at them. Steve noticed they were liquid gold, too warm and light to be brown but not quite green enough to be hazel. Beautiful.

"Sorry, kiddo, the Captain was just leaving." Natasha sent him a pointed look that he ignored, stepping up to the side of her bed and fighting the urge to reach out and take her hand. Hospitals always made him uncomfortable and the medical side of the Avengers' facility was no different. Holding her hand felt more like he was saying goodbye than that he was saying hello.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. How are you feeling?" Steve asked before Natasha could effectively kick him out again, wanting to make absolutely certain that Evangeline was healing. And that she didn't forget who he was. Having two people he cared about forget him was enough, he wasn't sure he'd survive Evangeline not knowing who he was. At least Peggy recognized him. There were still times when Bucky looked at him and Steve swore there was no recognition, no memories accompanying his empty stare.

"Like I got hit by a truck." The small tilt of her lips was enough for him to be smiling back, happy to see that she was still humorous. "My head doesn't hurt as much, but I'm pretty sure that Dr. Cho just pumped me full of pain meds, so I'm not sure it'll last. The world is still kind of blurry. But there's no longer two of you, so that's always good."

"There were two of me?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Yeah, when we were in the Tower. It's okay, Captain, both of you were pains in the ass." She informed him with a goofy smile. He figured it was the drugs kicking in, but it made him feel oddly better. She wasn't treating him any differently than she did on the coms and that was more than he could really hope for as it was. "Oh, hey, Sergeant."

Steve turned to see Bucky in the doorway, eyes clinically running over the occupants of the room before he stepped in. He had cleaned up and gotten his metal arm looked at. He'd used it to pry the elevator open so that the civilians could escape. Stark probably had a field day knowing he got to touch the tech.

Steve was surprised that Bucky had even entered the room. He'd seen the other man talking to Evangeline at the party and Bucky'd let Steve know he'd been the one to drag her under the bar and effectively save her life. Steve had thanked him for it and Bucky had informed him that that was his mission. A quick chat with Maria Hill had let him know that she'd given him the order to watch after Evangeline whenever she left the Tower. Apparently, he had taken the mission quite seriously.

"You're alive." Just as verbose as always.

"I think so. Not really sure. I can't feel much." Evangeline informed him. Bucky's lips quirked and Steve had a heart stopping moment where he realized it was entirely possible that Bucky had a _crush_ on the woman. He'd been watching her for months and talked to her, which was more than he did for most people. Evangeline seemed fond of him, though she seemed fond of everyone at the moment, but what if… God, could his life never be easy?

"Good. You're hurt." Bucky reminded her. Evangeline wrinkled her nose and reached out blindly, grabbing the little stuffed dog Barton had left her and pulling it into her side. Obviously, she'd been awake when she'd gotten it. Her eyes slid between him and Bucky and he almost laughed when Natasha pressed a button and Evangeline's pupils slowly blew wide.

"That wasn't nice, Romanoffffff…" Evangeline stretched Natasha's last name out as she blinked rapidly, obviously fighting the medicine.

"It's alright, sleep. You need it. We'll come back tomorrow." Steve promised, letting himself reach out and squeeze her hand just a little. Her fingers tightened around his for a moment before she let those golden eyes, now almost black from how much medication Natasha had pumped into her, slide closed.

"I'll be awake tomorrow." She murmured, slipping into sleep. Her hand went limp in his and he let her go, stepping back with a look to Natasha. She just shrugged.

"She needs sleep and she'd keep herself awake to talk to the two of you. Go, make plans. I'll let you know if she wakes up again." Natasha waved them both away and Steve went, knowing that any more fighting her on it would give him away. Admitting Evangeline had beautiful eyes to himself was enough, he didn't need Natasha knowing he thought the dame was pretty. She'd never let him live it down.

"Let's go, Buck. We're going underground and I have the perfect place…"


	10. Complications and Requests

**So, here's the next update! I'm doing two today because I proof read the next chapter and this one is incredibly short anyway, so there's that. So far, Bucky is winning for the next fic. Bucky has five votes, Pietro has one, Clint has one, and Loki has one. (If I counted them right.) Someone mentioned that there aren't very many Pietro fics and I know, it breaks my heart. He's definitely going to be in this series, so long as I keep this up. He doesn't have a big part in this fic, but Wanda and Pietro will have bigger parts as time goes on. Of course, I already mentioned that Pietro was alive in this universe I'm creating, so that's not a surprise. Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

Eve pursed her lips and stared at the superheroes in front of her, wondering why they were all ganging up on her. Obviously, she knew that they were all going into hiding after the events at the Tower. She wasn't stupid and, after she'd finally wrestled the pain medication away from Natasha's reach, she'd finally gotten the full story. The Avengers were officially going dark, disappearing into the night like shadows only to come out when another world threatening disaster happened. Or, at least, until they figured out who had sold out their location and helped HYDRA break into the Tower.

"You have to decide. Either you and I are going with the boys or we're going off on our own. Either way, you need a place to heal that's safe and we're the safest people in the country at the moment." Natasha informed her. The woman had taken up watch next to her like a silent guardian the entire time she'd been asleep. She'd only woken once to find someone else by her side and Maria had informed her that she had taken a shift so that Natasha could go sleep and shower. It was odd to have the fanatical devotion of an assassin trained on her, but she figured that it was better than having her hunting her.

"You want me to go underground with you? Why? I'm not an Avenger and no one knows who I am." Eve reminded them, unsure why everyone in the room traded long suffering looks, as if she was the stupidest person they knew. It was kind of insulting. After all, she ran most of their missions, it wasn't like she didn't know things. They were just being decidedly vague in their responses, which had little to do with her and more to do with their inherent distrust of, well, everyone.

"After you fell out of a building with Cap and you took out four HYDRA agents, you can bet your ass they know who you are. And if they don't know yet, they will soon enough." Natasha was the one who answered, the two super soldiers keeping their mouths shut. They seemed to both think it was better to let Natasha handle the sweet talking, though she wasn't being very sweet. If she was being something, though, she was being honest, and Eve appreciated that more than honey coated lies put in place to keep her calm. Eve had no doubt that Natasha was fully capable of getting her to go along without telling her anything true. She had chosen to be truthful and Eve appreciated that more than anything else.

"What about my family? Are my siblings in danger?" Eve finally asked after a moment, fighting a small well of panic. Only one of her siblings would be in any real danger. Alan was as safe as he could be and was probably friends with the bastards who were trying to kill Eve, if she was being honest with herself. But Elise was still in school. In New York. In danger.

"There was an agent sent to your sister to warn her. She'll be shadowed, we have a few agents in place around NYU. They've been warned. Maria made the arrangements." Natasha explained. Eve let out the breath she was holding, glad that Natasha didn't mention Alan. No one wanted to think about Alan, least of all Eve.

"So, my options are to go with the Captain and the Sergeant to a safe house at an undisclosed location where we'll just hang around for a couple weeks until the danger dies down or until we figure out where the leak is, or I go with Natasha to a different undisclosed location with a new name and start a new life until she decides it's safe enough to come back." Eve thought it through carefully, wondering what the best decision was. She knew she'd feel better with more people she trusted around. Familiarity was nice. They wouldn't tell her where the hell they were planning on taking her, but she hadn't gotten an answer out of the Captain or Natasha, who was a little terrifying when she started talking about new names, new identities, new hair colors. The Captain was only slightly less terrifying.

Eve had only dyed her hair once in her life. She'd put blue streaks in her hair when she was twenty and she'd regretted it immediately. She couldn't imagine dying all of it and didn't want to find out what would happen if she did. Not only that, but going with the Captain would put her in a position where she could actually talk to him, which would be a good change from the awkward little dance they'd been doing the entire time she'd been in medical. She'd known that he didn't like medical facilities and she knew why, she'd read his file. He'd watched his mother, Sarah Rogers, die in one. But she hadn't accounted for how awkward it would make her in response.

"How long do I have to decide?" She asked finally. Thinking things through was her specialty. She mapped things out, figured out time, danger, variables. If she wanted to make a sound decision, she needed more information, not that they'd give it to her. They expected too much for too little. If they wanted her to be comfortable with the decision she was supposed to make, they were doing a terrible job.

"You have until tonight. You're cleared to be moved tomorrow and everyone else is going to be on their way out in the morning, so we have to go too. The safety of having us all together will diminish as soon as the first person steps out that door." The Captain was the one who spoke this time, blue eyes honest, as if they ever weren't the picture of honesty.

The Sergeant was standing next to him silently, frowning deeply, as if he didn't like any of the options. He'd snuck in the night before and sat with her for a while. She'd managed to convince him to play Rummy with her, which he was surprisingly good at for not remembering playing the game before. He caught on quickly and had beaten her most of the games they'd played. He'd shown up at midnight right after Natasha left and stayed until she'd fallen into a deep, dreamless asleep. She'd woken up the next morning to find that Maria had been back to check in. She'd been the one who had let Eve in on the newest set of plans that were going to disrupt her life.

"I'll think about it. Come back for supper and I'll let you know." Eve informed them, eyeing each of them critically. Steve nodded and so did Natasha, turning to leave. The Sergeant was still staring at her like he had something else to say, so she didn't go into deep thinking mode, instead watching the backs of the other two leave.

"Come with us." Was all the Sergeant said, in a quiet voice, before he turned and left the room.

She wanted to holler after him and make sure he knew that that wasn't fair, but she was pretty sure he already knew that. Somehow, the elusive Sergeant had become something of a confidante to her. He was a little bit broken and she was a little bit crazy, but they got along well and she didn't want to make him think she didn't care about him. Saying no now meant directly refusing an invitation. Well, as close to an invitation as she would get from the Sergeant. It was more than she'd gotten from the other two, who had barged in and told her to choose what she wanted. They hadn't asked if she wanted to go with and the Sergeant hadn't either, but he'd requested she come with him as if there was a choice in the end.

Laying back in her bed, which she was starting to hate, she stared up at the blank white ceiling.

It really wasn't the end of the world if she went with the Captain. Hell, he would probably get sick of her in a few days and find something else to bide his time with. She would have Natasha if things got bad and she knew that Natasha, for all her piss and vinegar, would take her away if she asked her to. The woman wasn't great with emotions, but she was a good woman underneath it all and she wouldn't force Eve into anything. It was just a matter of accepting her fate at this point.

Eve rolled onto her side, curling up and ignoring the slight pain in her head as she decided to take a nap before letting them know that yes, she would go with the super soldiers.


	11. Car Rides and Go Fish

**So, yes, she'd decided to go with the super soldiers because Bucky asked nicely and didn't really give her a choice. Their BFF-ness is cemented in this chapter, I hope you enjoy. As always, leave a review and let me know who you want to star in the next fic. Bucky, Clint, Loki, or Pietro seem to be in the lead, but Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are also options. Let me know and I hope you enjoy!**

The car was flying along the highway, the Captain driving while Natasha was leaned back in the seat beside him, her feet kicked up on the dash and bubble gum snapping in her mouth. Natasha sported black skinny jeans, a flowing white top, and a beany over her red hair, the curls straightened out. Her hair went down past her shoulders, almost to the bottom of her shoulder blades, longer than it had been in a long time. The bruising on her forehead was still prevalent, even with makeup covering most of the damage, and the bulge of a bandage around her upper arm was clearly visible, no matter how she tried to hide it.

Eve was in the back seat with the Sergeant, who was sitting still and silent, dark eyes watching the mirrors and the road with fanatical devotion. He'd nodded in thanks when she'd informed them that she was going with them instead of with just Natasha, but that was about it until he'd demanded the spot next to her in the car. Eve hadn't bothered to try and pry into his logic. Sometimes, it was nice to have someone to chat with, but she felt like it would annoy him if she wasn't careful. And, as much as she liked the superheroes around her, she didn't want to annoy them. She was all too aware of how easily they could silence her.

Eve herself was dressed in a pair of dark wash jeggings, a soft sweater pulled over the bandages around her ribs. She'd worn soft clothing to keep from scratching the multitude of scabs that covered her body, one hundred percent of the clothing borrowed from the other Avengers women. The glass imploding at the Tower had hit her hard and she'd rolled through more of it than she cared to admit. The dress she'd been wearing that night was devastatingly beautiful, but it had been useless as armor. There was a reason that Natasha wore a tactical suit while she was out on missions and the resulting injuries from Stark's party was why. Eve's back was littered with scratches and gashes now, some of them having required stitches. Her feet had taken the worst damage and the Captain had carried her to the car instead of letting her walk out by herself, the bandages on her feet thick and annoying. The right one was the worst, they'd taken out a huge chunk of glass that had been embedded in the curve of her foot, almost an inch in length and fairly deep. She remembered the pain of stepping on it, but she'd stepped on a lot of things that had hurt during the battle. That and her bruised ribs and the gash on her forehead and the consequent concussion had kept her in bed for three days before she'd been cleared to leave the training center.

Eve had on large fuzzy socks to keep her feet warm, but no shoes. The Captain had informed her crisply that, should she need to run, they'd just kill the bastards first. Eve had teasingly reminded him that he didn't like that kind of language and he'd groaned before setting her in the back seat of the car, his shield by her feet and their bags tucked carefully into the trunk.

Eve shifted her weight slightly as she observed her friends, her ribs starting to ache with every breath. Her head still hurt, but she'd learned to think around it in the last couple of days. The good news was that she wasn't seeing double anymore. The events of the fall still escaped her, but that was fine. She was pretty sure she'd probably been terrified and very, very determined that the Captain would live through the day, even if she didn't. For some reason, she didn't think that would reassure the Captain. They had yet to talk about her throwing him out of a building, not that she wanted to be a participant in that particular conversation. For some reason, she was fairly certain it wouldn't go well.

"You need a pain killer, Eve?" Natasha asked, turning her head to lay it against the head rest on her seat, careful of her own healing wounds. Her green eyes found Eve's and Eve fought the urge to deny the pain, knowing that the painkillers would put her to sleep. She didn't want to sleep. She'd been asleep for three days, being awake and conscious was nice.

"I'll be okay for a little while longer. Are we almost to the mystery place?" Eve asked, eyes sliding from Natasha to the Captain, who still had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder. Natasha, apparently, drove like a bat out of hell no matter what car she was driving, the Sergeant didn't know how to drive a car, and Eve was still on pretty powerful painkillers, so the Captain was driving. Not only that, but he was the only one who actually knew the location of the place they were going to. They were going south, away from New York. It had been a little more than four hours, just long enough for her medicine to wear off.

Steve was driving like he thought they were being tailed and they'd traded cars at the midway point, from a silver Jeep Cherokee to a maroon Suburban. Eve had been in the back with the Sergeant in both cars, his silence almost ominous in the first hour. She had no doubts that he was looking out for trouble and his first concern would be getting her out of the vehicle unharmed if something happened. It was kind of comforting, if she was being honest with herself, to know he'd protect her. Then again, she wasn't sure that was what she wanted. Or at least, it wasn't how she wanted it. The Sergeant protecting her because he liked her was one thing, but because he was ordered? She didn't want to be his mission. She didn't want to be anyone's mission.

"About half an hour, maybe a little more for traffic." The Captain offered, turning onto a different road. Ahead, Eve could make out signs. They were headed into Virginia. For a moment, Eve wondered if the Captain had lost his goddamned mind. Wasn't he the one who had destroyed the Triskellion in DC only two years before? Wasn't he the one who had almost gotten killed while exposing HYDRA in that very city? Wasn't he the one who had almost gotten her killed with that little act? So why were they headed towards the very place he had to run from?

"This is a terrible idea." Eve murmured to the Sergeant, who glanced sideways at her. His alert eyes gave her the feeling that he knew that this wasn't a good idea, but he didn't have any safe houses on record. That didn't mean they didn't exist, it just meant that Eve didn't know about them. Then again, that was probably better. She wasn't sure she'd be able to hold in the curiosity of seeing what was in one of the Sergeant's safe houses. The Captain was fairly straight forward and a little different in Eve's mind. One, she'd already snuck into one of the Captain's safe houses, years back when they'd first been put together. Two, he only kept regulation items in his safe houses. It was particularly boring to have driven almost two hundred miles only to find out that he didn't have even a single odd item at his disposal. Maria had laughed when Eve had told her. Nova had been in the room with her, cursing out their luck. For some reason, she was sure they'd find something scandalous in their endeavors.

"It's not what you think it is." The Sergeant murmured back, his voice almost quieter than her own. Then again, she wasn't making a marked attempt to not be overheard. She didn't care if the Captain overheard that one. He would understand better than the Sergeant why going back to the site of the destruction was a terrible idea. Eve hadn't seen the consequences firsthand, but she'd watched the videos later. And she'd met the HYDRA agents afterward. They weren't particularly pleased. "Five?"

"Go Fish." Eve snapped back, unsure if she was actually upset or just wanted him to know she was slightly annoyed. Either way, the Sergeant didn't seem to care as he picked up another card from the mess on the seat between them, his metal fingers glittering in the low light. Eve perused her own cards, frowning at the lack of matches and trying to figure out what to ask of the Sergeant. He was surprisingly good at picking things up, so Eve had started going through every card game she knew, slowly teaching him whatever she remembered about them. Sometimes, it ended in her hunched over her phone, Google pulled up, trying to figure out the origin of whatever game they were playing, but that was alright. The Sergeant obviously hadn't had many people who were willing to sit there and talk him through his history or things that were actually fun instead of just the wars he missed and the weapons that had come out. She was fine being that person. "Do you have an eight?"

The Sergeant made a disgruntled noise as he handed her a card, her smile lighting up as she slid those into her pile of matches. Natasha was twisted in her seat, trying to see who was winning, while the Captain lectured her on the safety of a vehicle like the one they were in. It was fairly obvious Natasha didn't give a shit about safety, but none of them reminded him of that.

"How about a king?" Eve asked, taking the offered card off of the Sergeant when he held it out, a frown tinging his dark features. Something about the Sergeant's dark eyes and hair screamed danger, even when he didn't mean to. All in all, Eve didn't see much danger in him. He was fairly calm whenever they were together, though she figured he only actually sought her out when he was in a good mood. Then again, she hadn't had much option to go tracking him down. Either way, she could manage being a friend he came to when he wanted to play games or talk about movies. There were worse things he could want from her. "Jack?"

"Go fish." He sounded ridiculously happy that he finally got to shoot her down and Eve sent him a pout, her lower lip sticking out and her eyes widening to the point where it was almost painful to do the move. The Sergeant just ignored her, obviously not too affected. "Ace?"

"You're cheating." Eve complained as she handed over her Ace of Hearts, glancing at the two cards in her hand. The game wasn't far from over and she hoped she was the one to go out. Then again, it didn't really matter. What mattered was how many matches she had.

"No, you just aren't good at cards. Seven?" The Sergeant smirked triumphantly at her when he took the card she offered him, three cards left in his hand. Eve glanced down at her last card, the Jack of Spades, and started to slowly smile. He got the gist of her excitement before she even opened his mouth, his slight smirk straightening into a tight line.

"Go fish." She sang happily, humming to herself when he had to pick up a card. His frown deepened and Eve wondered what he was pouting about. Then again, it wasn't hard for him to guess her last card. He was pretty smart when no one was looking and she'd already asked him if he had her card. He hadn't last time, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. The Sergeant had a ridiculous poker face whenever he wanted to mess with people. The fact that he was letting her read his expression was probably a good thing, though Eve wasn't going to comment on it. Commenting on something he did seemed to be a bad idea all around. It made him self-conscious and that was what she was trying to avoid. "Jack?"

"Fine." The Sergeant handed her the Jack of Clubs, dropping his cards down and picking up the pile he had that were matched together. Eve grabbed her matched pile and started counting out the pairs quickly, looking up to see that they had passed by DC, at least. She was pretty sure she would have made Natasha take her somewhere else if they honestly were planning on going into DC. She didn't need a reminder of what had happened after the Triskellion fell.

"Fourteen." Eve informed the car, all of them now paying attention. Eve could practically feel the Captain's eyes boring into them. He didn't quite understand her friendship with the Sergeant, obviously. They'd only known one another for a little while, but then, Eve had only known Natasha for a short time as well. That didn't mean the friendship was any less real. It just meant that she knew less about them than she did her other friends. And she was determined to fix that whenever she got the chance.

"Twelve." The Sergeant frowned, obviously not happy at being beat. Eve started doing a happy dance in her seat anyway, poking at the Sergeant, who groaned when he realized she was going to gloat about it.

"I won, I won… Come on, Cranky Pants, don't be cranky." Eve poked at the Sergeant, laughing when he swatted at her a little with his right hand, obviously not wanting her near his other arm. She was on his left side, behind the driver's seat, but he was careful not to touch her with the cool metal, even accidentally. It was something she'd notice, of course, but she had yet to ask anyone about it. None of the other Avengers had mentioned that he wouldn't let them anywhere near his metal prosthetic and Eve found it a little concerning. Probably something she should mention to Maria, just in case.

"I'm not cranky. You're going to lose next round anyway." The Sergeant sounded slightly like a petulant child, something that made Eve want to laugh. She held the urge in, knowing it probably wasn't her best idea to laugh at the known assassin, no matter that he was playing Go Fish with her in the car while they drove to a super-secret safe house.

"Pack it up. We have five minutes to the safe house." The Captain called back, ruining Eve's fun. Fighting back a sigh, Eve started shuffling all the cards back into a pile, surprised when the Sergeant helped. He usually avoided touching her at all, but when he did, it was always with his right hand, never the left. The fact that he used both hands to help push the cards over to her didn't escape her notice in the least.

"There's food here, right?" The Sergeant asked seriously, glancing at Eve as he spoke, as if he thought she would know the answer. Eve knew nothing about where they were going. If she was being honest, it was entirely possible that the Sergeant knew more than her. She was aware of some safe houses that SHIELD hadn't known about, but not all of them. Not by a long shot. It wasn't just the Captain that had them either. Natasha and the Hawk also tended to keep most of their safe houses secrets from everyone, just in case. As it turned out, that was a great idea.

"Why would I take you anywhere that didn't have food?" The Captain asked seriously, frowning into the rearview mirror. Eve fought back a smirk, knowing that it probably wasn't in her best interest to make fun of them at the moment.

"Because you're a punk." The Sergeant informed him, rolling his eyes before staring out the window.

"He has a point." Natasha laughed, the Captain rolling his eyes and knocking Natasha's feet off the dash of the vehicle. Eve was honestly surprised he hadn't done that already, considering he was anal about the cars he 'borrowed'. Eve had learned over the years that the Captain was one hundred percent behind doing something completely illegal to finish his mission, he was just zero percent willing to admit that whatever he had done was actually against the law. It took Eve a little bit to get the phrasing down, but telling him to borrow something usually worked in getting him to steal a car or rob a convenience store. So long as he was sure that they were going to return or pay for the items he took, he was fine with it.

The Sergeant, on the other hand, had no such hang ups. He was a lot like Natasha in that way. Sure, he made sure that whoever he stole from got paid in the end, but he wasn't quite as hesitant to actually do the stealing part.

And Natasha, as Nick had so aptly pointed out once, was comfortable with everything. And she didn't possess the moral hang up about paying people back for the things she took. Most of the vehicles she stole didn't make it back to their rightful owners. Ever. Eve had never felt too bad about it. There was always SHIELD to pay people back. SHIELD would take care of the payments if their agents stole a car or broke into a house. The flash of a badge and the name of an obscure government agency along with a blank check was always enough to get people to calm down about stolen property.

"Eve, you doing alright?" Natasha asked again when Eve shifted position again, hiding a grimace behind an inquiring glance. Her ribs hurt and her head felt full and painful and her right foot ached with every beat of her heart, but letting Natasha administer her medication was a bad idea, as they had all learned. She shoved the pills into Eve's hand faster than she could take them, trying to drown out the pain with a number of medications that shouldn't have even been legal. Some of them probably weren't, though no one talked about that part.

"We're here." The Captain informed them before Eve could answer, pulling into a small neighborhood and up to a fairly nice sized, conspicuous house.

Well, at least it wasn't a cabin in the woods.


	12. Safe House

**So, the chapter before this, this chapter, and the one after were originally meant to actually only be one chapter, but I changed a little bit of the story and it's become more of a big deal. I'll try and quick post all of this so we can get past intros and stuff to the real story that's going to happen, but there's going to be a lot of team building. Half because I just love team interactions and half because it actually will become important later to the story.**

 **Now, I know everyone is excited to hear about Clint and Eve's relationship, but I'm afraid he isn't in this chapter. I'm planning on having him be a bigger part of the story later on, but for now, you'll have to enjoy the newest player in the game. Let me know what you think and thank you to everyone who reads and reviews and favorites. You guys are awesome and I can't wait to hear more from you!**

"What is this place?" Eve asked softly as the Captain pulled into the driveway of the house they were apparently going to be staying at. He parked before he answered, turning to face her in the front seat of the car. Natasha gave a quiet laugh, as if she knew what was going on, before she got out of the car and stretched, obviously not worried about being seen.

"You'll see. It's a safe house." The Captain informed her, grin on his lips. Wherever they were, apparently Natasha wasn't too worried. Eve glanced sideways at the Sergeant to see that he was frowning a little, obviously not seeing the humor in their situation. Maybe there was some sort of inside joke going on, but Eve wasn't sure what it was that was so hilarious. Either way, the Captain got out of the car like it was no big deal. Eve was surprised when he turned and opened the door for her, raising an eyebrow when she moved to get out on socked feet. "You still aren't supposed to be walking."

"You don't have to carry me." Eve reminded him with a raised eyebrow in return. Instead of listening to her, the Captain just gave her a shit-eating grin and scooped her up before she could fight him off, the Sergeant and Natasha watching on. Natasha was smirking as well while the Sergeant simply watched expressionlessly, obviously not too concerned with her annoyance.

"I don't have to, you're right." The Captain answered nonchalantly as she smacked his good shoulder. His other shoulder had to still be sore, especially when he kept carrying her around. Honestly, he probably still should have had the sling on for another day or two, but he was worse than her when it came to listening to anyone on the medical team. "We'll bring everything in in a couple minutes. You're going to go in and sit on the couch until I say otherwise."

"I can…" Eve cut off when the Captain sent her a dirty look, effortlessly carrying her up the driveway and towards the house. Eve pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose back at him, hoping he understood her annoyance. Being carried around by Captain America wasn't actually as uncomfortable as she liked to make it sound, he was a strong, healthy male and she totally respected that and noticed it. But that didn't mean that she wasn't an independent female who could take care of herself either.

No one talked as they made their way up to the front door, where the Captain knocked on the door as if someone was going to answer. Eve turned to glance at Natasha questioningly. As far as she knew, most safe houses were safe because they were empty. If no one was there, the chances of someone double crossing you were nonexistent. Then again, maybe the Captain had set up a safe house _for_ someone. That thought should have comforted her, but it really didn't. If the Captain had a girlfriend or something hidden away in the house in Virginia, she was definitely going to kick his ass. Or have Natasha do it.

Eve turned back to the door when the door opened and she stared at the man who was in the house, unable to believe her eyes.

"No way in hell, man. I am not running a halfway house for injured superheroes. Not happening." Sam Wilson informed the Captain, shaking his head determinedly.

"Technically, Eve isn't a superhero." Natasha spoke up, peeking over the Captain's shoulder to wave at the other man.

"Come on, it'll only be for a little while. Besides, I let you stay on my floor in the Tower after Botswana." The Captain reminded the man. Eve knew about Botswana. An unofficial mission that no one had manned, it was a disaster. The Captain had been roped in after the Falcon had almost gotten himself killed.

"Get inside before someone sees you. You need to get better at going incognito, dude." The Falcon informed the Captain. Honestly, he wasn't wrong in the least. All the Captain had for a disguise was a baseball cap pulled down to cover his eyes. If he wasn't the size of a pro-wrestler, that might have worked. Anyone with half a mind that had met him before would recognize him in the get up he'd donned for the drive. Of course, it was pretty obvious the Captain knew he wasn't about to get turned away at the door of his 'safe house' too.

"I thought you said this was a safe house." Eve pointed out. Somehow, the Falcon's home wasn't quite what she'd had in mind when he'd told her he was going to take her somewhere safe. Especially when he lived in a neighborhood. A neighborhood with neighbors. Neighbors who were people that could possibly blow their cover. Really, had he learned nothing on coms with her?

"Safe as it gets. Now…" The Captain moved into the living room and set her on a small couch, his movements slow and gentle. Eve flinched at the pull to her ribs and the stitches on her back, hiding the automatic response from the Captain as best she could. "Stay put until we get everything inside."

"Get to know Sam. He's not as boring as he looks." Natasha tossed over her shoulder with a laugh. The Falcon just snorted, moving into the living room as well. Eve didn't blame him for not helping carry in the suitcases full of clothing and equipment. Eve figured there was one point where she wondered why they hadn't packed much food, but the thought had passed as soon as the Sergeant had pulled out the deck of cards and challenged her to some of the games that they'd been practicing. Now, it all made sense.

"So. Seraphim." The Falcon looked her over carefully, his game face on. Eve hadn't worked often with the man before her, but enough to know that he was someone who was trustworthy. He had been the one to pull her and the Captain out of their swan dive, so there was that. He'd also been the one who stuck with the Captain the most during his attempt to find the Sergeant. She would be forever grateful to the Falcon for looking after the Captain when she couldn't.

"So. Falcon." Eve mimicked, raising one eyebrow in an elegant arch. An answering smirk started to cross the Falcon's lips and Eve let her lips tilt in response, hoping that his easy going response was a good sign.

"Sam Wilson. It's a pleasure to meet the only person Cap listens to." The Falcon held out his hand and Eve took it, shaking firmly. He had a good, strong handshake and that was something she appreciated in a man. She also appreciated that he didn't treat her like she was made of glass, something she'd gotten used to over the last few days. Instead of carefully watching her face for any sign of pain, the man before her was looking her over as if he was trying to figure something out. She'd rather be looked at like a puzzle than like she was fragile.

"You call that listening to me? I'd hate to see what he'd do if he was feeling frisky." Eve offered, gratified when the other man let out a laugh, a large grin on his face. Instead of holding in the thought like she normally would, Eve freely admitted that Sam Wilson was an attractive man. She was kind of surprised there wasn't a Mrs. Wilson wondering around the house. From what could be discerned on the coms, the Falcon had a great sense of humor and was fairly sensitive to emotions. Most women would kill for a man like that.

"You saw what happened to the Triskellion." He joked. Eve twitched slightly, biting into her bottom lip viciously when she realized she'd given herself away. The Falcon was eyeing her seriously, now, obviously reading her scars as his gaze fell to the backs of her hands and the marks that could be seen on her wrists where the sweater had fallen back. Quickly pulling her hands back, Eve looked at the coffee table just to have a place to look, already reading the understanding in his gaze. He might not know what exactly had happened to her, but he now knew it had something to do with the Triskellion.

"Evangeline. My name is Evangeline Mason. You can call me Eve, if you want." Eve offered, just to get something else in the air besides the knowledge that she'd been hurt after the Triskellion fell.

"And you can call me Sam. All the cool kids do." Sam teased gently. Eve cracked a smile at that, right as the door opened and Natasha and the Sergeant came in carrying equipment bags.

"You better not be flirting with my new best friend, Wilson. I won't go easy on you when we spar if you are." Natasha called out, starting up the staircase that was hidden in the corner. She was carrying the clothing bags, which were pretty heavy unto themselves. The Sergeant was carrying a suitcase that was almost as big as Natasha that contained most of Eve's equipment. If she was going to be in hiding, she needed to be able to communicate with Maria and help run missions it wasn't like anyone else had the clearance.

"I can't help my natural charm!" Sam yelled after her, turning to send Eve a wink. Eve just shook her head, curling her feet up onto the sofa with her so that she could prop up on the back of the couch and watch the Captain carry in his iconic shield, along with another bag that was probably bigger than Evangeline herself.

"What natural charm?" The Captain quipped, grinning when Sam's grin dropped, his eyes narrowing at his friend. Honestly, Eve had always thought that Sam was a good friend for the Captain to have. Sam was emotionally healthy and knew his limits, so he beat out all of the Avengers as a whole and the Captain and Sergeant in particular. The Captain would pick a fight with anything that moved in a way he didn't like and the Sergeant was always pulling his ass out of the fire. Clint Barton, who she needed to remind Natasha to call now that they'd made it to the safe house safely, was better in some ways, worse in others. He didn't pick a fight with anything that moved, but he picked up strays all the time. If he thought they could be redeemed, he had no trouble bringing them into HQ. It had gotten him into more trouble than he was technically worth, not that anyone would get rid of him anytime soon. That was how he'd basically become the guardian of Kate Bishop and how Natalia Romanova had become Natasha Romanoff.

Sam, Sam knew where the lines were drawn. He would stand up for his country and his friends and his beliefs, but he also knew when he needed to just take a day or a week or a month to recuperate and lay low. Being a retired EXO-Falcon para-rescue probably had something to do with learning his limits and healthy coping habits. Eve was pretty sure he was the only Avengers she'd ever seen that had healthy coping habits. The Captain boxed until he was exhausted, the Sergeant went on more and more missions until he couldn't even see straight, Clint started pranking the new recruits until he felt better, and Natasha pretended there was nothing wrong. Honestly, she was surprised they were all still alive.

"You know I have natural charm, right, Eve?" Sam turned to her with a raised eyebrow, arms thrown out so she could look him over. Smirking, Eve gave him a careful onceover, just because the Captain was watching and she couldn't screw with them if she wasn't thinking it through all the way.

"I dunno, Cap, I'm pretty charmed." Eve informed them, fighting down a laugh when Sam perked up, chest puffing out in pride. The Captain made a disgusted noise, starting up the stairs.

"Not polite to lie, Eve." He called back. Eve just laughed.


	13. Sleeping Arrangements

**So, this is kind of another girl bonding moment, digging a little deeper into Natasha's past. I'm going to try to go pretty MCU with it, but I'm adding some of the features of comic!Nat to the mix. Mostly that she was in the Red Room and KGB. Some of it's a little AU, but most of the character pasts are just slightly AU. Usually you can find a bit of truth from some of the comics and stuff, but I kind of just threw everything I knew about them together and mixed it in a blender. Lol. Anyway, let me know what you think.**

 **Steve's POV is next chapter and we'll get a peek into what he's thinking as well as a tiny bit of alone time between him and Eve. As for this chapter, enjoy!**

"I know it's not ideal, but we're basically sharing clothes, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind sharing a room." Natasha offered Eve as she sat on the bed. The Captain had carried her up to the attic bedroom after the boys and Natasha had lugged everything up, setting her down with specific instructions to stay until someone came to get her. Considering the Sergeant's aversion to people touching his metal arm and Sam's status as a regular human, Eve was pretty sure she was just waiting for the Captain to come and move her.

"Natasha, of course I don't mind sharing a room with you. Where did you get us clothes from?" Eve hadn't had time to steal any clothes from the apartment she shared with Nova and Natasha had stayed at the Avengers Training Center with her in medical for the most part, so neither of them had the chance to grab their own belongings.

"I kind of raided the other women's closets. There are a few women who stay in the ATC on a regular enough basis to have rooms. You met Wanda and I'm sure Barton told you about Katie-Kate. There are a few more. Hope Pym, Bobbi Morse when she's not out on assignment with Hunter, Dr. Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Pepper Potts… Wanda was more than willing to help me round up a few things and the other women didn't mind. Some of the stuff will be a little too long, but we can always go out when the hype has died down and go shopping." Natasha explained, naming off a few familiar names. Even if Eve hadn't met them all, she had heard of them. The women of the Avengers were kind of iconic.

Wanda Maximoff had come in to check on Eve with her brother, Pietro, after she'd been allowed to have a few visitors. She was a sweetheart, if a little quiet. Pietro hadn't had that problem and zoomed around the room the entire time, obviously bored out of his mind. If it wasn't so funny, it would have been annoying, but Eve appreciated that they'd come to check on her even though they didn't know her at all. Eve had never had the pleasure of having the twins on the coms, though she had heard of them multiple times. Wanda had gotten her some flowers, scrawling her own name as well as Pietro's on the card.

Kate Bishop, well, Clint had mentioned her more than once. Not just on coms, but while he visited her in medical too. Kate hadn't shown up, but she had sent over a card that thanked her for putting up with Clint. It was probably the funniest thing she'd received, including the stuffed dog that Clint had given her as soon as she was allowed visitors. He'd been one of the first ones in when she'd woken up. After a few jokes, he'd pulled her into a gentle hug and given her the stuffed dog he'd named 'Lucky 2.0', telling her that it was going to be her good luck charm. If Eve didn't know any better, she'd have said that Clint was the teenager, not Kate. But Kate was only around sixteen and her parents were involved in HYDRA, something she'd found out after the Triskellion. After finding out that her parents basically let her run around unsupervised fighting crime, Clint had basically moved her into his apartment, apparently. Eve didn't know much about the history of their relationship, but she'd heard more than one exasperated phone call on Clint's end.

The rest of the women, aside from Pepper, who was technically Eve's boss, Eve had only heard of in passing. Dr. Foster had won a Nobel Prize the year before and was the leading expert on Astrophysics in the world, which was completely amazing and Eve would probably squeak embarrassingly if she actually got to meet Dr. Foster after all of her scientific advances for the modern world. She was also supposed to be Thor's girlfriend, though the term seemed kind of awkward to use for a god. It was also kind of an awkward word to use for a world renowned astrophysicist…

Darcy was Dr. Foster's assistant. She hadn't won any awards that Eve knew of, but she had tasered a god, so that was kind of the same thing.

Hope Pym was the daughter of the man who had built Pym Technologies and creator of the Pym Particle. She was also the acting CEO of Pym Tech and working on a suit similar to the Ant Man suit that would allow her the same powers. Not only a badass CEO, but a first class martial artist, Hope Pym was trained from a young age to become the Wasp, the counterpart to Ant Man. The Wasp suit was originally warn by her mother, Maria, before she'd died and Hope wanted to take up the helm as soon as she could get the suit to work.

Pepper Potts was someone who Eve had met more than a few times. Pepper was CEO of Stark Industries as well as the only person in the world that Tony Stark would answer to. She was one of Natasha's friends as well as one of Maria's and Eve had gone out to lunch with her and Maria before whenever Pepper was free. They hadn't been particularly close, but Eve was fond of the woman who employed her. Especially considering Pepper had hired the lawyers that had represented Eve in her trial after the SHIELD files were dumped.

"It was really nice of them to let us borrow some clothes…" Eve murmured as Natasha started unpacking, obviously not bothered that Eve couldn't help her.

"They know what you've done for the rest of us and they wanted to help. Besides, Wanda took a liking to you almost immediately. And everyone loves Wanda, so you got lucky." Natasha informed her with a laugh. Eve smiled back, glad that the younger woman approved of her. Of course, Wanda wasn't that old. Maybe twenty or twenty one. It was kind of sad that the twins had gone through so much in their young lives, but Eve was about her age when she started working with the Captain.

"Wanda seems really great. I wish I'd had enough time to get to know her a little better." Eve sighed, running her hands over the bedspread. The bedspread on the king sized bed was a grey feather down, soft as a cloud. The bed took up the majority of the floor space, though the room was actually quite large when looking at it from an objective view point. Almost three times her room at the Tower, but her room was more of a glorified closet.

The room had original wood floors and the ceiling was sloped, the walls painted slightly off-white. There was a bathroom attached to the room, thank god, with a shower and everything. Eve hadn't shared a bathroom with a man since she'd moved her and her sister into the dorms at the Sci-Ops Academy when she was sixteen. Ending that streak sharing a bathroom with Captain America and his BFF wasn't exactly on her list of things that would be awesome.

The rest of the room wasn't all that spectacular. There was a fairly large window with a window seat facing the backyard, which gave them a great tactical view of the neighborhood below. Not that Eve could actually get to the window seat without either pissing the Captain off by walking or just crawling over. Then again, she wasn't sure the window would be left alone for long. Tactical viewpoints were helpful and Eve wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Sergeant or Natasha took up perch there for the next few days, at least until they were settled in a little more.

The walls by the window held built-in bookshelves stuffed with reading material, which was always good. There was a dresser on the wall opposite the bed that was fairly large and a small closet on the other side of it, otherwise the room was basically empty. It was obvious that it was more for show than for actual visitors, which was kind of sad, but honestly better than what Eve had expected. Safe houses tended to be used fairly often by a lot of different agents and she had assumed that they would go to one of the SHIELD-approved safe houses. Obviously, the Captain hadn't thought that was secure enough for their purposes.

"Don't worry, you're not going anywhere anytime soon. Besides, Clint loves those twins. If he didn't already have Kate, there's a very good chance he'd have moved the twins into his apartment building already." Natasha informed her, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. Eve smiled at that. Clint was kind of a mother hen. He'd been to see her every day, always with something new to give her. The stuffed animal, then a blanket, then a bunch of different candy bars because he knew how much medical food sucked. While Clint was great company (he never force fed her her pain meds) he was always watchful, making sure that she was comfortable and watching for any signs of fatigue or pain. It was like having an older brother, though Eve did technically have one of those. He just wasn't exactly exemplary.

"You think he'd have learned his lesson about adopting teenagers after you and Kate." Eve offered, watching as Natasha folded clothes quickly and efficiently before sliding them into various drawers. She seemed to have a system going, but Eve wasn't paying good enough attention to figure out what the system actually was. Her hands slowed for just a moment after her comment and Eve fought the urge to frown, realizing she'd kind of mentioned that she knew, generally, when Natasha had come into SHIELD. Most people didn't have access to that file.

"How much did you read?" Natasha asked slowly, as if the answer would somehow pain her. Eve nibbled at the inside of her lip, ultimately deciding that lying wouldn't get her any favors.

"I got the cliff notes version of the file. Detailed combat records as well as general health information as well as lists of your abilities and any other allergies or medical conditions that could possibly hinder you on a mission. I know about the Red Room and the KGB, but only the need-to-know information." Eve explained softly, knowing that it was a delicate topic. Natasha had been through a lot. The abuse and despicable means the Red Room used to 'train' their agents was a form of psychological torture. If Natasha had anything in common with anyone, it was the Sergeant. The processes they went through were similar and probably just as painful. Eve didn't blame Natasha for the things she'd done when she'd been on her own. She'd survived because that was what she was meant to do. That was what she had been trained to do. It didn't take an expert to realize that scars like that didn't just disappear. Eve wore her scars on her skin and Natasha wore them buried deep, under her training.

"You never mentioned it." Natasha reminded her, as if that was an oversight.

"It didn't need mentioning. You're still Natasha Romanoff, one of the best SHIELD agents I ever had the pleasure to work with, not to mention an Avengers who's helped save the entire world more than once. That was all I needed to know." Honestly, Eve had only seen someone who wasn't much older than her who'd gone through a lot of suffering. SHIELD agents weren't usually from cookie cutter backgrounds. SHIELD recruited the people they did because they were strong and had strong ideals. Because they honestly believed that they could make a difference in the world. And, now that SHIELD was gone and she'd learned not to trust their opinion, Eve still trusted Natasha. Because Clint did. Because Maria did. Because she'd worked with her long enough to know that she was a good woman, no matter what red marred her ledger.

"You know, sometimes I think you're bat shit crazy." Natasha offered with a soft smile. It was the same smile she'd had on when she'd first seen Eve's scars and told her that she was beautiful anyway. It was a surprisingly real emotion.

"Yeah, well, sometimes, I would agree with you." Eve informed her, dropping back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. "Did you know we were coming to Sam's house?"

"Nope. He told me we were going to the middle of nowhere. I don't know what the middle of nowhere is to him, but this is Virginia, not the Arctic Circle. Then again, he did grow up in Brooklyn…" Natasha offered, moving so that she could drop onto the bed next to Eve. Eve just laughed a little, wondering what the Captain would do if she took him to her hometown. Maybe he would like the small town feel. Or maybe he'd run as fast as possible in the other direction. "I guess you can't have everything in a man, hm?"

"What, you scoping him out now?" Eve asked curiously. If there was anyone on the team that Eve would match Natasha to, it would be Clint. They worked like a well-oiled unit, always reading one another's minds and finishing each other's sentences. It was actually kind of freaky at this point, not that Eve really minded. It made missions easier. That, and Eve knew that Clint cared about Natasha far more than he would ever admit. Natasha had a tendency to run away from commitment whenever she thought things were getting to deep and Clint was one of those that wanted to be in for life. Maybe that was why he kept adopting strays.

Either way, Eve hadn't ever thought about how Natasha and Steve would work as a couple. Given her small, unhealthy obsession with Dr. Banner for a while, contemplating the Black Widow's romantic involvements hadn't been worth the time. Thinking about it, Eve had to admit that Captain Rogers would probably be good for her. He was the wholesome, all-American type. All apple pies and baseball. Other than that, Steve was also one of the few people who hadn't run as soon as he found out about Natasha's past. He trusted her and cared for her as more than just a teammate. His teammates were the only family the Captain had left after the Sergeant. They would honestly probably be good together, which sent an uncomfortable ache through Eve's chest. One she ignored completely.

"Ew, definitely not. I appreciate a good set of abs as much as the next girl, but Cap isn't my type. I like my men like I like my weapons." A smirk darkened Natasha's lips and Eve waited, knowing a pun was coming. "Razor sharp and deadly."

Of course she did.


	14. Introductions and Cupboards

**Hello, hello! This is Chapter 14, obviously, and now we get to see more into what Steve's thinking. Also, we get to see just how much of a pain Natasha and Evangeline are when they're left alone together.**

 **On another note, I'm still accepting votes for who will be the focus of my next fic, but I'm cutting down the voting pool to these two: Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes. Let me know which one you'd like to hear about first and I'll get started in planning. I think I'll stop the voting pool after Chapter 16. (I'm not sure yet how long this fic will be, but it's looking like at least over twenty five, probably around thirty depending on length and whatnot.) So, let me know who you're voting for. Either or is fine with me.**

 **Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. I'm trying to get into the habit of replying to reviews because I love them and I read them all, I promise, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask away. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Steve was one step from throwing Natasha out of a window. She was doing her damnedest to give him a heart attack and had been all afternoon, acting as if it was her mission to drive him up a fucking wall. He wanted to curse her out when he walked into the living room of Sam's place only to find both Natasha and Evangeline by the entertainment center around the TV, even though he'd left Evangeline on the couch with specific instructions to stay there until someone, namely him, could move her to wherever it was her attention had landed.

It had taken five minutes. He'd just gone and talked to Sam, made sure he really was alright with them staying in his house. It wasn't Sam's permanent address, he'd moved out of the house in DC and put his things in this one while he lived at the ATC and trained, but it was his escape from the stresses of being an Avenger. And Steve didn't want to be too much trouble. He just wanted to make sure that they were safe and Sam's place was the safest thing he could think of on such short notice. He didn't really feel like taking a multiple day drive with two master assassins and an injured communication's specialist. That was a recipe for disaster.

After a few minutes, Sam had finally relented that it was alright that they stayed. Apparently, Steve's thought process wasn't as original as he'd thought. Sam had expected him to show up yesterday.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Steve bit out in a serious voice, not feeling the least bit bad when Evangeline's head snapped around, her eyes wide. The blood drained from her face, but he knew that was probably more from the actual movement itself than being afraid of him. In the time he'd known her, Evangeline had proven she had more claim on the title fearless than any of the Avengers combined. She also obviously had a claim on the words absentminded and short sighted considering she was curled up on the floor, her bandaged feet tucked under her without a care in the world. How someone was so oblivious to their own health and wellbeing, Steve didn't know. But he didn't like it.

"I told her not to get up. I can snoop enough for the both of us." Natasha shrugged, a slight tilt of the lips threatening him to try and challenge her. He would have if he wasn't too busy walking towards where Evangeline was sitting, intent on getting her back onto the couch, where she could elevate her feet and rest, like she was supposed to be doing.

Scooping her up without warning, a spike of pain shot through his shoulder. Technically, he was supposed to be in a sling for the next two to three days, avoiding any heavy lifting for a week after that. The mottled bruise was still a dark purple that was probably dangerous, his advanced healing not working fast enough to keep him from experiencing the normal pain of a dislocated shoulder and torn deltoid. Steve ignored the pain, also ignoring Evangeline's indignant squeak at being manhandled. Normally, he would never manhandle a woman, but she listened worse than he did and he wasn't letting her reinjure herself just because she thought she was invincible.

"I'm fine! It doesn't even hurt that bad!" Evangeline lied, wide eyes on his face. Steve just rolled his eyes, carrying her back to the couch and depositing her there. She still had whatever movie she'd been looking at in her hands and he didn't really care. They could snoop all they wanted, Sam rarely had anything to hide. If he did, it was already common knowledge, at least to the people in the Avengers' circle. Sam lived with assassins and spies, not to mention Wanda, who was a mind reader. They wouldn't find anything shocking or scandalous in this house.

"Dr. Cho said to stay off of your feet for the next few days. Until the stitches start to dissolve." He reminded her, raising a challenging eyebrow at the woman. Evangeline just wrinkled her nose at him, the expression more adorable than alarming. Whatever she was going for, the look fell flat, just reminding him yet again that she was devastatingly attractive when she wasn't paying attention.

"Dr. Cho is full of shit. Maybe that's why the two of you get along so well." Evangeline smiled up at him angelically, looking enormously pleased with herself. Bucky snorted as he walked into the room, obviously finding her antics amusing. Of course he did. The two had bonded over playing cards and late nights, something he still didn't quite understand. Bucky rarely liked anyone, it was odd that he'd formed such an attachment to Evangeline. Steve figured that was a question for another day.

"I'm sure that's one of the reason. Stay on the couch. I will be right back." Steve enunciated slowly, enjoying the wrinkle returning to her nose. He narrowed his eyes anyway, tilting his head back slightly in challenge. Evangeline just shrugged, waving her delicate fingers for him to leave.

Turning, Steve motioned for Natasha to follow him, intent on going over a defense strategy in case anything happened. They ended up upstairs with Sam and Bucky, talking quietly so as not to get Evangeline involved. Knowing her, she'd want to fight with them and Steve wasn't about to allow that to happen anytime soon. She'd already almost gotten herself killed overestimating her skill level. Whatever happened next, he was hoping to keep her from being anywhere near the fighting.

The talk only took them only a few minutes. Sam had a lot of extra security around the house just in case and Bucky had already mapped out the neighbors and the best evac routes. Natasha was already setting up aliases they could use and their building had prime sniper spots that Bucky was ready and willing to arm, just to be safe. Steve was Evangeline's self-appointed guardian, which was going to be a bitch and a half to accomplish. Either way, they had a plan set in place and he trusted the team they had set up.

"You know she's going to be gone when you get back downstairs, right?" Natasha asked as the conversation dwindled. It had been maybe ten minutes, but Steve sighed deeply, rotating his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to figure out Natasha was right.

"Think duct tape will keep her down?" Steve asked, seriously considering the idea for a moment.

"Nope. She's too crafty for that. She'd probably just chew through it, given half a chance. Think of it this way: You get to babysit Seraphim. It's like your best dreams come true." Natasha shot him a smirk before she was headed up the small staircase to the attic. Steve's room was the one right next to those stairs. If someone wanted to get up, they'd have to go through him first. If something happened, Natasha and Evangeline could come find him easily. It was a good arrangement and Bucky was just across the hall from Steve. Hopefully far enough down that he wouldn't wake the dames up with his nightmares, but close enough to be of help if something were to happen.

"Oh, come on! Why do all the pretty ones want you?" Sam complained good-naturedly, shoving at Steve's good shoulder. Steve nudged him back, careful not to push too hard. He could easily hurt Sam if he wasn't paying attention and that wasn't something he was sure he could live with. Hurting any of his friends just wasn't an option.

"It's my rugged good looks." Steve informed him crisply.

"Rugged? Yeah, right, punk." Bucky slapped him upside the head as he went by, downstairs as if he was on a mission. Steve hoped like hell that it was to get Evangeline back on the couch before he got down there. Chewing her out was getting a little repetitive and the first day wasn't even over yet.

"He seems better." Sam offered as soon as he knew that Bucky was out of earshot. Steve appreciated the gesture, but knew that Bucky had to know they'd have a conversation about his progress at some point. Sam had been the one who was with Steve when he found Bucky.

"Nightmares are still going strong, but having Evangeline around seems to help for whatever reason. Him and Barton get along well, I haven't really asked either of them why yet. But, sometimes, I can see the old Bucky in there." Exhibit A being the smack to the back of the head. The man they'd found when they'd found Bucky would never have done that. He was closed off, terrified, and knew almost nothing. It had taken weeks of careful care for Bucky to even let Steve call him Bucky. He'd insisted for the first three weeks that he would only answer to the Asset. Steve was just happy he'd stopped handing him weapons every time he was alone in a room with him. A short talk had proven that the HYDRA assholes had trained their Asset to arm anyone of higher standing than him if they were in a room alone with him and not armed already. When Steve had taken him in, the part of him that was the Asset, the Winter Soldier, had taken on Steve as his superior officer. It had taken even longer to work him out of that thought process.

Sometimes, Steve swore Bucky still saw him as a superior, someone just meant to give out orders. Others, he swore the old Bucky was standing in the room with him, joking and laughing.

"We had that talk, man. He might never get back to what he was before." Sam reminded Steve. It was a talk they'd had multiple times. Sam worked as a counselor for the VA and had gone through his own PTSD. He'd seen a lot in his career there and he'd wanted Steve prepared for the possibility that the man he had saved wasn't the man he remembered. And Steve appreciated that, even if he didn't want to accept that his friend was totally gone. He'd lost Bucky once, years ago. After finding him again, he wasn't going to lose him a second time. Even if he was different this time.

"I want him happy and healthy. That's all I care about." Steve reminded Sam. Sam just nodded slightly, eyeing him contemplatively.

"So, what's this about Evangeline? You going to ask her out?" Sam's grin returned full-force and Steve knew the serious conversations were over for the moment. That didn't mean he liked the new turn of the conversation either, though.

"Come on…" Steve dropped his head and looked away, knowing that the teasing had just begun. God, Sam and Natasha in the same building for an extended period of time, knowing he had a slight crush on a woman? This was going to be a nightmare.

"What? She's cute. And she likes your dumbass. That's more than you can hope for, really. I mean, look at that ugly mug." Sam teased, starting towards the stairs. Steve knew he didn't mean anything by it and laughed a little, unsure about the comment about her liking him. Yeah, Evangeline obviously liked him as an operative and an agent, but that didn't mean she'd like Steve the person. Not many people were interested in him. After what happened with Sharon… It was hard to imagine someone actually wanting to know the person behind the shield.

"We just met." Steve reminded him.

"Dude, Seraphim's been your coms since I met you. You need a better excuse than that. And no, I'm not going to let this go." Sam started down the stairs at a slow jog, turning to face Steve with a smirk on his lips. "Ever."

"Why do I keep you around?" Steve asked as he chased him down the stairs, eyes immediately seeking out the couch. Of fucking course Evangeline wasn't on it. In fact, she wasn't even in the living room anymore. Steve groaned and spun in a circle, eyes sliding over the possible rooms she could have escaped to until he heard a very familiar laugh emanating from the kitchen.

Following the noise, he walked into the kitchen and froze at the sight before him.

"Why the hell are you on the counter?" Steve growled, staring at the woman in disbelief. Evangeline was perched on top of the kitchen counter by the sink, eyes wide and innocent. Three of the cupboards within her reach were open and she looked like a kid caught in the cookie jar, the guilty look on her face forcing him to fight back a little bit of a grin. Honestly, what the fuck was she doing to him?

"I'm not on my feet." She pointed out quickly, as if that made it all better. Nope, she was just sitting on Sam's counter, her fuzzy sock clad feet swinging slightly.

Bucky was sitting on a stool on the other side of the counter, watching them curiously. That was practically open fascination from Bucky nowadays. Still, Steve wasn't going to back down, no matter that his best friend was two feet away from her, elbows braced on the counter and his fingers clasped. It was surprising to see that he'd ditched the leather motorcycle gloves he'd taken to wearing on his left hand to hide the gleaming metal, his shirt sleeves rolled up almost to his elbows. Whatever they'd been doing, it looked like Bucky was comfortable enough around Evangeline.

For some reason, that didn't make anything better.

"And I suppose you crawled out here?" Steve asked, holding back the harsh tone that almost tumbled free. He wasn't mad at her, per se. He was just frustrated and taking it out on Evangeline wasn't the answer.

Her golden eyes flickered over his face briefly, reading his expressions easily. It was kind of annoying that she could read him so well. When she got that look on her face, studious and openly curious, he wasn't sure what she was thinking. He figured at the moment she was trying to figure out the answer that would piss him off the least. She was one of the best mission coordinators in SHIELD, Fury had said so himself. Whatever went on in her head, it was fast, precise, and ridiculously intelligent.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" She asked finally, seeming to decide that outright trying to lie wasn't her best bet. Steve rolled his eyes and wondered why God felt the need to test his patience at every turn. As capable as Evangeline was at keeping him in line, she obviously didn't think things through when it came to herself and her own injuries. Instead of scooping her up and taking her back out to the couch like he'd been planning on doing, Steve moved forward to stand next to her and peer into the cupboards.

She'd found most of the food and was rearranging everything into neat lines, obviously taking stock of their supplies. All the cans were together in one cupboard, arranged by product and size, all the boxes were lined up and stacked perfectly in another. Any odd packages that were hanging around were in a different cupboard, obviously well thought out. Steve was actually surprised she'd gotten so much done in such a short amount of time. They weren't really upstairs that long.

"What are you looking for?" Steve asked, instead of commenting on the fact that she was compulsively organizing Sam's cupboards.

"I just wanted to check what kind of food there was. Apparently, Sam hasn't been paying attention to his stock. That stuff is all garbage." Evangeline motioned to a pile of food that was thrown on the floor, hands moving to finish arranging the rest of the cans. Bucky got up and left almost silently. Steve wouldn't have known he'd left, but Evangeline looked up and waved goodbye without another word, not seeming too worried that he'd left without saying anything. At least Steve wasn't the only one who wasn't concerned by that behavior. It seemed like Bucky just left when he was done with whatever situation he was in.

"Are you hungry?" Steve asked, pulling the garbage out from under the sink and starting to clean up the mess she'd made on the floor. Everything in the pile was past its due date, some by a few years, some by just a couple months. Obviously, Evangeline was pickier than the rest of the team. Steve was pretty sure Bucky would eat anything in the house if he got the chance, no matter how old. Depending on the situation, Natasha would probably do that too, if there wasn't another choice. Steve was a little pickier, but not by much. Canned food didn't go bad, in his experience. And Sam was probably the pickiest eater of them all, aside from Evangeline. He was the one who was living as a civilian before his enlistment, after all. Civilians frowned on eating expired foods for some odd reason.

"Mmmm, a little." She hummed as she continued looking through a different cupboard. Steve scanned the options, wondering what Evangeline would like to eat. Steve actually didn't mind cooking, it was soothing in its own way and he'd cooked a lot when he was younger. Bucky would eat anything, as mentioned before, as long as it wasn't military rations. He only choked those down when it was necessary. Natasha would pretend to like whatever got made, even if it made her gag. Evangeline was the only one in the house Steve hadn't yet made a meal for and he didn't feel like he knew her well enough to actually pick out food that she would honestly like.

Natasha, for all of her posturing and pretending, was actually fairly picky when it came to meals. She ate things she didn't like all the time, simply for health and espionage reasons, but that didn't mean she didn't complain about it later when they were on their way home from wherever they were. So far, he had a running list of things Natasha didn't like, including, but not limited to: fish, chamomile tea, pineapples on pizza, sardines, bologna, or caviar. And that was just the things she refused to eat at supper with the rest of the team. Well, they didn't normally eat caviar, but Stark had brought it out once and Nat had basically run from the room. This was without what he'd heard on various missions and the like.

Then again, if Evangeline picked the meal, she was knowledgeable enough about all of them to pick a meal they'd all eat. Given that she would pick food she actually liked, of course.

"Find anything you want in there?" Steve pressed a little, moving to lean against the counter next to where she was sitting. He was close enough to see that she had a scattering of freckles along the bridge of her nose and her cheekbones. Close enough to see the scars on either side of her neck, along with the stitches along her hairline. The bruising on her face was detailed and concerning, but he looked past it, shoving the inherent rage down for later. Later, he would ask her who the hell had hurt her. And then he would make them pay.

"Well, there's ravioli, various soups, chili, the ingredients for a fairly decent pasta, macaroni and cheese boxes, things like that." Evangeline informed him, as if he hadn't already read the boxes and cans as she put them away. It gave him absolutely no idea of what she actually thought sounded good. Puzzling it out wasn't going to work and, apparently, asking wasn't working either. He loved a straight answer as much as the next guy, though he found it oddly charming that she was willing to wait and see what the others wanted. It was just a little thing, but it was what he would do in the same situation.

"Why don't we get Nat, Sam, and Bucky down here and see what they want?" He finally suggested, knowing that would go just as well as this. Then again, Natasha was the kind of person who would announce what they wanted in a loud voice if asked correctly. It took a while for her to warm up, but once she liked you, you never doubted whether or not you were her friend.

"Whatever you say, Captain." Evangeline smiled at him cheerily, wincing a little when she reached for the top shelf to slide a box into its spot. Steve deftly took the box from her, his own warm fingers brushing against her thin, delicate ones. Her fingertips were cold and he wondered if she was cold as well.

"You know, we've met now. You could call me Steve." Steve informed her, glancing out the window by the sink. It was late October, the air was cold and they were dressed for the weather. That didn't mean that she couldn't be cold, but he and Bucky had higher body temperatures because of the serums they were both given. If the house was cold, Steve wouldn't know unless it got to freezing temperatures. Not like Evangeline would. Not like Natasha would. It concerned him, especially since she was already injured. Getting her sick wouldn't do him any favors and he had a feeling neither woman would come right out and tell him if the house was cold, even if icicles were hanging from the eves.

"Technically, we've never been introduced." Evangeline reminded him, raising her eyebrows and biting into her plump lower lip. Steve almost rolled his eyes at her logic, but he didn't want to miss a moment of that look. It sent a bolt of heat through his chest, straight through his stomach to his groin.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. Captain Steve Rogers, at your service." Steve held out his hand professionally, fighting a grin when she smiled, an honest to God giggled breaking through her shy exterior. It definitely broke some of his image of her as a tough-as-nails SHIELD agent, but the overwhelming respect he felt for her was only strengthening the longer he knew her. It helped that a bolt of pride ran through him at being able to make her laugh. He definitely did not puff out his chest just a little. That would be ridiculous. "It would be an honor if you'd call me Steve."

"Evangeline St. James. You can call me Eve as long as you promise to never call me Ma'am again." Evangeline informed him, slipping her hand into his. Her hands were really around average size for a woman her height, he was sure, but they seemed smaller against his, her fingers long and graceful. He didn't even shake her hand, instead just holding her fingers in his gently.

"I happen to like calling you Evangeline." He cut in, just to see her smile. He really did love the name Evangeline. It was a beautiful name and fit her so well. Besides, he didn't want to call her the same name everyone else did.

Her hand against his was smooth and soft, the kind of hands that hadn't seen manual labor in a while. That, or she had some really good lotion. His own hands were rough and calloused, usually peeling no matter how much lotion he put on. Made up of hardened skin, he had the hands of someone who hadn't done anything but work for a living. ***** He felt a little unworthy for a moment, but wasn't about to let her go if she didn't want him to. There was something very intimate in the connection, even if it was technically a common social construct. Warmth spread through his chest against when she made no move to pull away, her beautiful eyes sliding along his face as if she was trying to read if he was lying about liking her name.

He wasn't.

"Alright, Steve." His name rolled off her tongue and he had to admit that he could get used to that. Her voice was gentle and smooth, easy to listen to. It rang familiar and he felt comforted, just knowing she was there, talking to him. He knew Evangeline would never let him down. She hadn't ever before. "Don't let anyone else find out I'm letting you call me by my full name. Then they'll all start trying to and we'll have a riot on our hands."

Steve got the distinct impression that she wasn't thrilled at her first name and wondered when she'd started not liking it. Had someone teased her about it when she was younger? Was there a meaning behind it he didn't know?

The door to the kitchen banged open and Steve reluctantly let her hand slip from his as Natasha burst into the room. She was grinning dangerously, an edge to her good humor.

She'd been listening and seen everything.

Bucky and Sam walked in right after her. Steve wished he could bang his head against the refrigerator.

 ***Side Note: I realize that Steve probably couldn't have done a lot of physical labor before the serum because he was fairly tiny and had so many health issues, but this is coming from his thought process of after the serum and during the war, since he really hasn't stopped working since he joined the war.**


	15. Movie Night

**New update! We get to see a little of what Evangeline was thinking while in the kitchen of Steve and we get a movie crossed off the list! One of the comments I got was about an update schedule. While I don't have a specific schedule going on, I usually update every three to four days, for anyone who was wondering. Thank you for all the reviews, I think I responded to all of them. I made a valiant effort, at least. If you guys have any questions, comments, concerns, don't be afraid to leave a comment! I love them and I read them all, I promise!**

 **Well, here we go!**

Eve fought not to look directly at the Captain, at Steve, while they were all curled up in the living room. Natasha was slipping a movie into the DVD player. Supper had been a quiet affair, macaroni and cheese with hot dogs in it. Eve had gotten a perverse pleasure out of watching two of the most dangerous assassins in history and Captain Freakin' America binge on mac' n' cheese with hotdogs. They'd made five boxes. It was gone in less than twenty minutes. Sam had looked just as shocked as Eve had felt, so she wasn't the only one.

Sam was perched in an armchair, across from the one Natasha had chosen, leaned back and ready to go. He had a bucket of popcorn and the TV remote, clicking through all the previews without a care.

The TV lit up and Eve recognized the movie Natasha had chosen right away. _Fight Club._ Of course. Why not give the ninety five years old assassin ideas? Why not give Steve more ideas on how to go off mission?

"I hope you're ready to be blown away, boys." Natasha teased as she crawled into one of the recliners, a grin on her lips. Eve was on the couch with Steve on one side and the Sergeant on the other. Steve downright refused to let her out of his sight at this point. He'd left during supper to run to the bathroom and she'd gotten up to get water. In retrospect, it probably wasn't her finest idea and her feet did kind of hurt, but it was so funny to see him turn purple.

Natasha thought it was hilarious and kept making jokes about Eve having a super powered babysitter whenever Steve was out of earshot. Even the Sergeant had made a few rough comments about babysitting and that punk. Eve had gone red more than a few times before she'd taken her hair out of its ponytail and decided to just hide from them in her curls.

Now, Eve had her feet resting on a pillow in Steve's lap while she leaned carefully against the Sergeant's right arm. She'd made sure it was alright with him before she'd moved, but the Sergeant had just shrugged, as if he didn't care what she did. Something about that sent warning bells off in her head, but she was too tired to analyze the Sergeant's thoughts for the day. Steve hadn't been nearly as unresponsive. He'd tossed a blanket over her legs and had one firm hand resting on her left ankle, his arm resting over her right one. As odd as it was, it was kind of comforting to have the physical confirmation that she hadn't dreamed the last few days. A reminder that she wasn't dead after the fall from the Tower.

"This was on the list." Steve remarked when the title played across the screen.

"I know, I put it there." Natasha shot back, eyes intent on the screen. Eve had to twist a little to be able to see the TV, a small ache starting up in her ribs. Natasha had practically shoved a pain pill down her throat before they'd put the movie in, at the request of everyone in the room. They weren't taking her pain kindly and she'd been carried to the living room by Steve. Apparently, they weren't going to let her get away with ignoring her own injuries. Everyone else in the house ignored their injuries. Why wouldn't they let her?

Focusing on the movie, Eve laughed when Sam paused the movie after the first scene with the actual club, forcing them all to repeat the rules at the top of their lungs. Steve grinned and played along while the Sergeant simply rolled his eyes. Eve glanced at the Sergeant just in time to see that he was mouthing along with them anyway. At least he was enjoying himself, even if he was insistent on pretending he wasn't having any fun.

Natasha was grinning from ear to ear, yelling out boxing advice and critiquing their punches. Steve joined in after a while until they got into an argument about who was the better fighter between the two on screen. The argument lasted the entire fight and then some, not that it mattered all that much because, by the time the movie was over, Steve and the Sergeant were staring at the screen in stunned silence, eyes wide as they tried to figure out what just happened.

"What the fuck?" The Sergeant breathed in surprise.

"What in the world just happened?" Steve asked, jolting a little. Eve laughed when his hand tightened on her ankle fractionally, his blue eyes sliding to her for an explanation. It was almost hilarious that he looked so surprised. She'd watched the movie for the first time years ago and it still got to her. It was one of her favorites.

"I know, right?" Eve offered, brain drowsy from the medication. She wasn't really up to explaining it all to them. Besides, she was still getting used to the fact that Steve was actually looking right at her, not just a voice over a head set. It didn't help that he was so incredibly handsome. Sure, most women thought Captain America was handsome, and the suit did have its merits, but Steve Rogers, the man, was far more attractive than a uniform. .

"Don't worry, Clint shot the TV the first time we watched it." Natasha offered as the screen changed and the credits started rolling. Both of the super soldiers looked annoyed that they hadn't guessed the outcome and the Sergeant's metal hand was fisted when Eve shifted to be able to see him, his dark eyes glaring holes into the TV. Eve took a moment to appreciate the HYDRA assholes' foresight into not giving him laser vision. If they had, the TV would be toast.

Eve fought back a yawn and failing, stifling it in the blankets that were pulled up to her waist as Steve ran light fingers along the bottom of her feet. The bandages kept it from tickling, it was just a light pressure and she noticed he was doing it subconsciously as he talked to Natasha and Sam about the movie. The conversation was going over her head, literally, and Eve shifted position a little, pulling the blanket up so she was nice and warm, sleepy. It was the best feeling, especially with other people that she trusted around. The Sergeant moved a pillow between them and Eve shot him a grateful look, one he definitely caught.

Sleeping on her own was hard. It hadn't really happened often since the incident at the Tower, but there were times when even Natasha had things she'd had to do. Those were the moments when the reality sunk in and she realized just how close to death she'd been. Nightmares had never been uncommon for her and her already existing insomnia was only cured by the cocktail of pain medication they'd had her on. Once those were gone, the nightmares came back. Natasha would figure it out eventually, Eve hadn't told her yet but it was possible the assassin had already guessed that she wasn't sleeping well. The men in the house had no idea. All they knew was that she'd been missing for months, they wouldn't know what had happened to her. They had no idea where she was during those months, what had happened to her, or how damaged she'd come out of it. She wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. They'd think of her differently if they knew and Eve hated the looks she got when someone thought she was broken.

Blinking wearily, Eve breathed deeply to calm her suddenly bolt of anxiety. Thinking about the time she'd been gone… It wasn't something she did often if she could help it. It was horrifying and terrible and no one should have to go through that sort of systematic torture. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy.

If anyone in the entire world could understand her pain, it was the people in the room with her at the moment.

The chatter of their conversation lulled her into a sense of peace and Eve let it take her, not wanting to interrupt them just because she was tired. It wasn't often the superheroes got down time and she wasn't going to ruin it by trying to get someone to take her up to bed. It was almost guaranteed that Steve would cuss her out if she tried to get up there on her own. It would ruin their conversation and it wasn't like Steve was obligated to carry her around at her leisure. Sure, her feet hurt like a bitch, but she knew he felt like he owed her and she wasn't going to take advantage of that, no matter how easy he was making it. She honestly wasn't sure which was worse, him just carrying her around because he thought he owed her or him actually doing it because he wanted to.

When they'd been in the kitchen, Eve had been so swept away. He was a specimen of a man, everything masculine and strong without being a complete douche about it. Warm, rough, calloused hands that were bigger than hers by far, he'd touched her like she was breakable. She honestly couldn't remember the last time a man had touched her gently. She hadn't allowed many to even shake her hand after the whole debacle with HYDRA. It was hard to have someone who could so easily hurt her hanging around. Her brain was always working way too fast, warning her of any and all possible dangerous elements. With Steve, that voice in the back of her head was curiously silent. There wasn't much dangerous about him, even if she knew without a doubt that he could crush her ankle easily in his hand. Yet, there was no fear with that realization. Not even a small shiver.

It was kind of sad that there was a little bit of pause with the Sergeant. She genuinely liked him and he'd done his best to keep her safe and alive since they'd met and even before that. He was definitely close enough to be considered a good friend at this point, but Eve was always aware of how dangerous he could be. They didn't touch one another often, though it was getting better. That unspoken rule had been blown out the window when the bomb had gone off at the Tower and he'd taken matters into his own hands, but his touch then hadn't been soft or gentle. It had been urgent and rough. Meant to save her life.

Steve was different, in more senses than one.

Of course, he was Captain America. That made him different than any other man she'd ever known on principal. However, he was also different in the sense of being a good man. She'd run enough of his missions to know that he had a good heart. Steve had done some incredibly stupid things on their missions, but it was usually to keep HYDRA agents off the streets or to save civilian lives. No matter how much she blamed him for not listening to her over coms, it was the kind of man that he was. If he had to give his life to save another, he would. It was plain as day in any of his missions. And Eve trusted him to keep her safe, if nothing else. To make good on his promises to keep her hidden from HYDRA's hands until they were stopped.

It helped that he hadn't treated her any differently after meeting her and finding out who she was. All joking laughs and witty comebacks to her teasing, Steve had taken her identity easily. He hadn't asked her once why they hadn't met before. She doubted it had crossed his mind to do so. Maybe, someday, when he learned more about her he would treat her differently, but he hadn't started yet. And that spoke volumes for what kind of man he was, at least in her eyes.

Eve felt the Sergeant move suddenly. He slipped out from under her and laid her down gently without a word. It wasn't a surprise. The Sergeant only put up with social interactions for a specific period of time before he was done. And he rarely told them he was leaving beforehand, choosing instead to just disappear without explanation. Ignoring the move, Eve let herself drift to sleep now that she was laying down, ignoring the conversation still going on around her.

"Eve, wake up, doll." Eve flinched awake when her legs were moved, her eyes flashing open to see that Steve was pushing to his feet. Sam and Natasha were already gone and most of the lights were off, the TV a muted glow in the background. It was obviously some time later than when she'd drifted off. "Time to go up to bed. You ready?"

Eve nodded, reaching up to rub at her eyes when his strong arms wrapped around her. Steve picked her up easily cradling her against his broad chest gently. He was careful about the bruising in her ribs, taking her blanket and all. She didn't fight him this time, her head leaning against his broad chest as she let her eyes slip shut again.

The ride upstairs was fairly smooth and Eve was a little disappointed when Steve moved to set her down in the bed she was sharing with Natasha. Natasha was already propped up on the bed, reading a book. Steve carefully laid her out, like she was a particularly breakable doll.

The thought brought to mind the memory of the pet name he'd called her, something she found oddly enchanting. It wasn't something many people used anymore and she let herself warm up a little at the thought of it, curling up on the large bed that Steve had set her on. If he wanted to call her 'doll' more often, she wouldn't fight him on it. She'd never heard him call a woman that before on coms. Mostly just 'ma'am' or 'miss'. He wasn't one to call people darling or sweetheart. His manners were impeccable and she was a little happy she'd been able to slip under that careful, calm exterior and pull up a little of his old Brooklyn accent.

"If you need anything, my room is the first door after the stairs. Don't be afraid to knock or, in your case, yell." Steve shot her a stern warning look. Over the coms, when she'd seen it on the big screen during missions, it was fairly effective. Most people took him seriously as he got that look on his face. Eve found that she was tempted to tease him until he looked ready to jump out a window to get away from her. It was an odd sensation, but familiar when it came to Steve. Eve liked to get under his skin on missions, force reactions. She was always professional when she was his communication's specialist, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to push every button he possessed just to get him to do what she wanted. "I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Ca-" Eve cut herself off, the words coming out automatically. "Steve."

"Goodnight, Evangeline." Her name rolled off his tongue in an almost sinful way before he looked to Natasha and nodded goodnight to her. He left the room after that, closing the door on his way out.

"You two are adorable. I just want to hit him." Natasha sighed, dropping her book onto the bedside table before moving to get up. "I'm going to change into some pajamas."

"Can you grab me a tank top? I can't sleep in long sleeves." Eve also couldn't sleep in anything that was even remotely tight around her neck. It was a side effect of her time in HYDRA, a side effect not too many people knew she suffered from. Getting any sleep was a miracle in and of itself, she wasn't going to do anything to endanger her chances of having a nightmare-less sleep.

"Sure." Natasha hopped off the bed like it wasn't a big deal, digging through two different drawers in the dresser. "Do you want to change into shorts too?"

Changing into the clothing took a while and was fairly interesting. Natasha caught her before she fell on her ass, at least, laughing the entire time. As soon as she was settled on the bed, Eve flipped the other woman off.

"Ah, don't be cranky, sunshine." Natasha teased, climbing under the covers and curling up like a cat. Eve slowly shifted into the bed as well, wincing when the movements pulled at wounds she had thought were long healed. She can feel Natasha's eyes on her even as she pretended not to pay attention, pulling the covers up over them both until they're tucked all the way in. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Natasha." Eve murmured, ready to go to sleep.


	16. Rise and Shine

**Second chapter of the day! This one is relatively short, but it's important for Natasha and Eve's friendship, so yeah. Hope everyone enjoys and don't forget to leave me a review!**

Eve woke up before the sun in a cold sweat. Whatever she'd been dreaming left panic clawing at her lungs and she forced herself to breathe in deeply, ignoring any sense of fear with practiced ease. The medicine they'd given her to keep the pain away also kept her from remembering her nightmares, but that didn't mean that they weren't still there, lurking below the surface and terrorizing her subconscious. All it meant was that she awoke feeling like she'd just crawled her way out of hell and the demons were still after her, lying in wait until she closed her eyes again.

"Oh, you're awake!" Natasha's voice carried through the room and Eve pushed up into a sitting position, wincing when the stitches in her back pulled some. Natasha was at the end of the bed, towel drying her hair and smiling gently, the scene a bit odd. Eve hadn't yet spent the night with Natasha over and it was kind of alarming to see her without makeup on. Maybe it was that she wasn't pretending to be someone else that was so odd to Eve. It was entirely possible that this was the real Natasha and the one that Eve had been hanging around with the last week or so had just been a cleverly disguised cover. There was no way to know for sure with Natasha.

Then again, it could have been the hair that was confusing Eve. Natasha's naturally red curls were now blonde, something that took a moment to sink in as Eve stared at her friend. The black yoga pants she'd chosen for the day hugged her frame and she'd donned a flowing green top that brought out her eyes, the sleeves hugging her arms tightly. She'd forgone makeup for the moment, something Eve hadn't ever seen or heard of before when it came to her friend, not even when she was on coms with Natasha on missions where bringing along makeup was almost impossible. The woman always had something. Eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick were her go-tos, but she also sometimes managed to hide away concealer and bronzer whenever she thought she'd need it. A curiously makeup-less Natasha was a lot more concerning than a Natasha fully made up.

"You dyed your hair…" Eve trailed off, unsure what to think of the blonde before her. Of course, Natasha looked great in anything, but Eve hadn't exactly been expecting her to change her hair color while she was sleeping. And she wasn't quite sure what to comment on first. The lack of makeup, the hair color, the clothing? Where were Natasha's weapons even hidden? Because, aside from the gun stuck to the bottom of the bedside table, Eve knew there was a knife under her pillow as well. One she'd kept sheathed for Eve's sake, but it was still there. And it wasn't like Natasha to do anything unarmed. Which meant that she was hiding a weapon somewhere.

On second thought, Eve didn't want to know.

"I did. If I'm going to be around town and everything, I need to have an alias in place. No one saw us yesterday, but you and I are going to have to go shopping for clothes soon and Sam's not going to be here all the time. He has his sessions at the VA to run and his own life going on. We can't just hide out, that would be more suspicious than us running around town." Natasha explained. Eve's mind slowly started to wake up, reminding her that this was proper procedure for a safe house. Natasha had probably grabbed the dye on their way out the door of the ATC, already realizing what she would have to do. Eve just hoped like hell she wouldn't have to dye her own hair. That would be a mess and a half, not to mention that there was no way she would look as good as Natasha with different colored hair.

"Do you think it's safe to go out shopping?" Eve asked, knowing her brow was pinched and unable to do anything about it. She pushed up to rest against the headboard, eyeing the woman she was rooming with.

"I think we'll take some extra security whenever you're healed up. You should be alright, Fury was careful about your enlistment status and everything, there aren't any current pictures of you in any of the SHIELD or HYDRA databases that we know of, but we're going to have to make sure that we stay relatively low profile. So, no letting the boys out of our sight. If we let them run free, there's no telling what might happen." Natasha joked, smiling at Eve.

Eve smiled back, mind already whirling with possibilities. If Natasha was serious about going out, they'd need a city big enough to hide their presence and far enough away from the town they were in to make sure no one could trace them back to Sam's place. Natasha was good at blending and Eve was a normal person, so it shouldn't be a problem for her either as long as she had one of her friends with her. Natasha, Steve, and the Sergeant were like a well-worn security blanket at the moment. If someone wasn't with her, there was no way she was going to pull off looking nonchalant and unsuspicious. It was too nerve-wracking to be out by herself when she knew that HYDRA was after them.

Steve and the Sergeant were another problem entirely. Not only would neither of them dye their hair (various missions had proven as much), but they weren't exactly inconspicuous. And they were both terrible at disguises when left to their own devices. Whoever told them that a ratty baseball cap and sunglasses would keep their identities a secret needed more training immediately. Eve didn't care who it was, she would beat them up if she ever found them. She'd had more trouble trying to keep those two from being recognized than she'd had with Steve going off the books for whatever new stunt he was intent on pulling off. And he was always pulling some new stunt out of his ass.

"Hey, are you, uh, alright?" The bed dipped slightly as Natasha sat down and Eve looked up, eyes hitting Natasha's emerald green. She looked seriously concerned and Eve twisted her fingers into the sheet on the bed, not wanting to have to explain the nightmares. Natasha had seen the scars, could still see them, so she probably already had an idea of what the problem was. Even if Eve wasn't exactly verbose about her experience with HYDRA, it wasn't like the others wouldn't notice at some point that she wasn't sleeping. Or that she woke up in a cold sweat more often than not. As long as the screaming was kept at bay for a while, she would be alright.

"I'm fine. It's just… nightmares." Eve finally forced out, looking down and nibbling on her bottom lip. Telling people always resulted in pitying looked and sympathetic words, two things Eve didn't want or need. She was strong. She'd lived through a lot and she wasn't going to back down without a fight. A few nightmares weren't enough to phase her anymore and she was proud of that fact. If only others could see it.

"All of us have things in our past that leave scars, Eve. It's not something to be worried about or to be kept a secret." Natasha reached out and wrapped her fingers around Eve's, squeezing gently before she moved to get up, obviously done with the conversation for the moment. Eve was thankful, having had no idea what to say in return. "Now, if you want to shower, we're going to need to change your bandages and make sure to get you in and out before Cap notices that I let you get up. So, let's do this."

 **(For blonde!Natasha, I imagined what she looked like in the movie** _ **He's Just Not That Into You.**_ **Great movie. If you haven't already seen it, I recommend it.)**


	17. Is This Jealousy, Captain?

**So, here we get to see a little more Evangeline and Bucky from Steve's point of view. This was actually a pretty fun chapter to write, I enjoy all the Steve teasing. Bucky Barnes is definitely winning against Clint and Pietro in the poll, so if you want the next OC story to center on Clint, vote so I know! Thank you to everyone who reviews, still loving the reviews!**

 **It probably takes mentioning that I usually update at night, so that's why it's every three/four days. I'm barely in three days right now, so sorry about that… I'm going to post two chapters today because I have the next one written. My author's note will be at the end of the next one because I have more to say and it has to do with what goes on there. But enjoy this one and don't forget to review!**

Steve watched from the kitchen as Evangeline and Bucky stared at the cards in their hands, eyeing one another suspiciously. Whatever game they were currently playing, they were both taking it fairly seriously. Of course, Bucky always took games seriously. Evangeline just seemed to find them fun most of the time, unless she'd lost a few times in a row. It depended on the game too. Evangeline took Rummy seriously, but laughed the entire time they played Go Fish. Steve had a sneaking suspicion that that was because she couldn't keep a straight face when Bucky, a former Russian assassin and current superhero, played Go Fish with her and actually got annoyed when she won against him.

Bucky finally placed a card on the line that was growing across the kitchen table, scowling fiercely when Evangeline picked up the entire line of cards. It wasn't like Bucky didn't have a good enough memory to remember every move Evangeline made in a game. Or to remember every card played, giving him enough knowledge to figure out what cards could be in her hand. To anyone who knew him well, it was obvious that Bucky was only playing because it made Evangeline happy and kept her busy, something that was actually kind of a godsend. It turned out that Evangeline was a holy terror when it came to sitting still.

That didn't explain the annoyance that ran through Steve every time he saw them playing a card game together. There were some board games in the hall closet they could pull out. Steve should have told them that he'd found them. Should have told Evangeline, at the very least. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was stupid and annoying, but he didn't want to give her any more games to play with Bucky.

"If you keep staring, Barnes will notice." Steve practically jumped a foot at the sound of Natasha's voice, cursing her silent footsteps. If he'd been paying more attention, he would have heard her coming.

"I'm not staring." Steve kept his voice down, moving to grab another potato to add to the pile he had already peeled. The knife in his hand was small and fairly dull. He was lucky he hadn't cut his own hand open yet, considering he hadn't paid much attention to the task at hand. He had planned on putting in the roast Sam had dug out of the freezer, hoping everyone would be alright eating it. If he remembered right, Sam wouldn't eat the baby carrots that were going in, but Nat loved those. Bucky, back in the day, had hated baby carrots as well, but Steve had noticed he ate a lot of things he wouldn't have back in the forties. He'd learned long ago not to mention any differences in taste. When he did, Bucky's eyes flittered away from his and his shoulders drooped, fingers curling into fists. It was less painful just to leave the memories alone.

"You are staring. And it's creepy." Natasha didn't mince words, that was for sure.

"I just want to know who's going to win." Steve denied again, not surprised when Natasha grabbed a knife and started peeling potatoes as well, her deft movements graceful and deadly. Her newly blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail away from her face, the new look something Steve was still getting used to. He'd been surprised when Natasha had just randomly appeared with different colored hair, but saying something would only result in her glaring at him, so he'd kept it to himself. Honestly, Natasha looked fine in any hair color. It was just odd to see the red gone.

"In what? The game or the race to Eve's heart?" Natasha asked vaguely, looking over at the duo as the sound of cards being shuffled was heard. Steve missed who won but figured it was Evangeline from the smile on her lips. Bucky didn't look too upset, his grey eyes taking in all of Evangeline's movements carefully as he listened to her talk.

"-wasn't trained in Ops Academy, I was trained in Sci Ops, which is way cooler anyway. They have an entire sublevel dedicated to student relaxation that was built by students, for students. It's called the Boiler Room. They keep adding to it too. There's a bar and pool tables, colored lights…" Evangeline was talking, telling Bucky about her life. Steve ignored the way his fingers tightened on the knife he was holding, ignored the frown that tilted his lips. It had nothing to do with them anyway.

"Oh my god. Are you _jealous_ , Rogers? I knew you liked her, but _already_?" Natasha hissed, green eyes wide. Steve frowned deeply at her, not wanting to hear it. He wasn't jealous. Jealousy was the last thing on his mind. Being jealous of Bucky would be stupid. Bucky was Evangeline's friend. They had become fairly good friends too. And Evangeline was one of the only people who wasn't afraid of Bucky, even knowing that he'd been with HYDRA and worked as an assassin. Steve would never dream of taking that away from him.

"I'm not." Steve bit out shortly, feeling a little bad when Natasha's face lost all emotion and she simply raised an eyebrow at him (also blonde. She'd really put too much thought into that.) It was a clear warning. Natasha wasn't the one he was upset with and he was taking it out on her, which he knew wasn't fair. He was upset with himself. That was all there was to it.

"I think this is enough potatoes, unless you want to feed the neighbors too." Natasha pointed out, motioning to the pile he'd peeled. She was right. He'd done a five pound bag and they were having roast and carrots with it. Moving, Steve grabbed the large pan, roast already in, along with the carrots. Starting to chop up the potatoes, he couldn't help listening in on the conversation at the table.

"Did you build any of that?" Bucky was asking, his voice low. He had to know that Natasha and Steve were listening, but he didn't seem to care overly much.

"Of course not. I wasn't an inventor or a rebel in school. Couldn't afford to get kicked out. That was Nova's job. I was trained in languages, computers, tactical awareness, defensive and offensive strategies, things like that. I was also trained in any tech that could help with a mission, but I never learned how to actually make any of it. Every few years I used to have to go back to Sci Ops and take another technology course, to get updated on the latest tech that was being used in the field." Evangeline explained. Which actually made a lot of sense. Whoever had recruited her had to have known what she was good at before they'd recruited her, which meant they'd have known what skills to grow on. "There were these kids a few years younger than me, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, that were ridiculously smart. They're the kind of people that develop cures for polio. I think Nova was in their year."

"Who's Nova?" Steve almost rolled his eyes when Bucky asked the question. Even Steve knew that Nova was Evangeline's second. She was the one who had run some of Steve's missions when Evangeline had been in medical after the DC debacle. And he hadn't even read Evangeline's file. In fact, it hadn't really crossed his mind to after meeting her. It seemed like it would be a breach of her privacy.

"Nova Maddox is my best friend. We've been friends since I started in Sci Ops, about ten years ago. She's pretty awesome. Her brother is currently an agent and her other brother and her sister are both retired SHIELD agents. She's a legacy." Evangeline explained, which Steve hadn't known. He knew nothing about Nova Maddox except that she was brash and not as good of a communication's specialist as Evangeline. "She's on my team, I'm sure you've heard her before in the background of a mission. Nova is my second as well as a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Biomechanics. She's studying Advanced Robotics right now, between missions and working for Stark Industries."

"Sounds smart." Bucky noted, accepting the cards that Evangeline dealt him.

"She's brilliant. Seriously. She's been slated for SHIELD since the day she was born, so no one was surprised when she graduated high school at age fifteen, going straight into Sci Ops. If she could see your prosthetic, she'd probably cry." Evangeline informed Bucky. Steve tensed at the observation while Natasha froze, eyes snapping up to the scene before them. Steve was ready to intervene at a moment's notice, especially if Bucky made a wrong move. His grip on the knife loosened slightly while Natasha's grip on her knife tightened. Steve would have to get to Bucky first or Natasha would stab him, should he attack. Steve could calm him down, but Natasha would automatically take him down the hard way. And the hard way meant someone getting hurt, something Steve wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Maybe I'll meet her someday." Was all Bucky said. Steve remained tense as Natasha slowly unfroze, not commenting on the obvious difference in response.

Bucky hated his prosthetic. It wasn't something that was a secret to anyone. He'd almost killed Natasha when she'd accidently brushed against it once and Steve couldn't count the number of times that Bucky had almost fallen off chairs to get away from him whenever he was too close to the man's left side. Steve couldn't remember a time when Bucky hadn't flinched at the reminder that he had HYDRA's arm on his body. It wasn't that he particularly hated having lost an arm or that he was horrified that he had a prosthetic to begin with. It was the reminder that he had once been HYDRA's weapon that seemed to terrify him.

Yet, when Evangeline brought it up, he didn't seem horrified or terrified. Instead, he was nonchalant, not even seeming to register that that topic of conversation had always made him jumpy and dangerous. Steve grit his teeth and turned away, not wanting to watch them anymore. Obviously, Evangeline was safe with Bucky. That thought shouldn't have sent anger churning in his stomach.

"I can introduce you. She's a handful, but really great…" Evangeline kept telling him about Nova and Steve tuned out for the rest of the conversation, shoving the pan into the oven at the correct temperature before practically bolting from the kitchen, ignoring the knowing look Natasha shot him as he went past.

He was in the basement before he really registered his intent, taking in the converted family room. Sam had converted the entire basement into a gym. Work out equipment sat along one wall, punching bags another. One entire wall was made of mirrors, a ballet bar connected to it. Instead of carpet, the floor was made entirely of mats, dark blue mats to protect those who wanted to spar. Ignoring the equipment, Steve went straight for the sand filled punching bags, hoping Sam had a few extra in place in case he broke one.

Steve stripped off the tee shirt he'd thrown on that morning, not wanting to sweat through his clothes. Frowning down at the jeans he'd donned, he kicked off his shoes, socks following.

It wasn't long before he was squared off with the punching bag, ready to throw the first punch. His muscles bunched and released as he slowly worked into a comfortable rhythm. Right, Left, Right, Jab, Upper Cut, Jab, Left, Right, Kick… His thoughts took a backseat to the familiar tandem of his workout, the clenching of his chest slowly loosening the longer he worked.


	18. New Players and Card Games

Eve stared at the screen of her computer, lips pursed as she took in the newest files that had been uploaded to the server that she and Maria used while planning various missions. The one that bothered her most was rarely touched. It had been almost a year since the message had come in and Eve finally clicked on it, ready to read it again. It wasn't every day they got a message from a former SHIELD specialist and Eve knew that they would need to use him if they wanted to defeat HYDRA.

The message was simple. She'd read it before.

'Got into HYDRA. Still working for SHIELD. Send mission. – Ward'

Grant Ward was a SHIELD specialist working with Coulson's team before HYDRA had come out. He was revealed to be working with HYDRA under the command of another specialist, John Garret. Garret was killed by Coulson and Grant left the team behind when he realized that he'd lost their trust. He rose in the ranks with HYDRA, mostly due to his ruthless nature and the anger he harbored after almost being killed by his own team. It had been a long time since he'd sent the message, mostly because no one else believed that he was still working for SHIELD.

Eve herself had a hard time believing and she had worked with Grant multiple times during her training. He had been the specialist she'd worked with first, before Steve. Grant had been like an older brother to her back in the day. They'd gotten along famously, the kind of people who kept in contact long after they stopped working together. Eve had counted him as a friend. But she hadn't been able to message him after finding out he was HYDRA. Grant was part of the people who had tortured her. He was a part of the organization that had almost killed her. She hadn't been ready to forgive that before.

She wasn't even sure she was ready to forgive what happened yet. But the best way to figure out how to kill HYDRA was through one of its leaders. And the information coming in definitely pointed to Grant being a leader of HYDRA. If he really was, and if he was trying to help SHIELD, they could use him.

Nibbling at her bottom lip, Eve considered her options carefully. Grant wouldn't take orders from just anyone. He probably thought SHIELD had abandoned him. Especially after Coulson turned on him and Coulson's team tricked him into killing one of his only allies. If someone were to send him a message, it would have to be someone he would trust. And Eve was pretty sure he still trusted her. He knew too much about her to think she would be trying to trick him. And she honestly didn't want to hurt Grant. He was a friend and an ally and she had to believe that. He wouldn't have messaged them if he didn't think they would need his help.

Contacting him could get her killed, though. Especially if he found out where she was staying. Not only that, but if Steve or Natasha or even the Sergeant found out the risk she was taking, they would never let her go through with it. The only one who would even remotely know who Grant Ward was would be Natasha. And only because he'd passed all the field tests with flying colors. He had the best score since Natasha and she kept a record of that sort of thing. What Natasha didn't know was that Grant had been being trained by Garret long before he'd taken the tests. He'd been trained to pass with flying colors.

Tapping her fingers on the Stark Industries logo on her new computer, Eve stared at his name. There was every chance that he thought she'd died in the Triskellion. She was supposed to be there that day. A last minute change in schedule had ended with her at Sci Ops instead, giving a lecture on communications and working with field specialists. No one would have foreseen what had actually happened while she was there. She could still hear the kids screaming, the gunfire in the background. Still envision the children she'd been lecturing to pulling guns from their holsters. Anne Weaver, the director of Sci Ops, had done a quick intercom warning, but it was already too late to save most of the students or staff. The ones who weren't killed were captured instead.

And Eve had been spotted by one of the men, who identified her as Captain America's liaison. If he hadn't identified her, she would have either been dead or left behind.

"You okay?" Eve looked up to see that the Sergeant was in the doorway, an eyebrow raised in question. Sighing, Eve motioned him into the room, not surprised when he only took, like, two steps in her direction. Always overly cautious, it was obvious he wasn't completely trusting of her. It wasn't like Eve was a prefect shot or anything. If she tried to hurt him, the Sergeant was perfectly capable of stopping her before she even got the chance to pull the trigger once. Not only that, but she had no reason to want to hurt him. He had been on his best behavior around her. Even she had noticed that he seemed to tiptoe around when she was in the room, overly aware that he could probably hurt her without thinking about it. Eve was optimistic, not stupid.

"Just working. Trying to figure out who to trust." Eve added, watching his face. He'd recently shaved, the five o'clock shadow that seemed to accompany him constantly almost gone. His long hair was yanked back into a ponytail, away from his face, and his dark eyes flicked to the screen she had opened. He wouldn't recognize the name, Grant Ward was before the Sergeant's time. Well, at least, before his time with the Avengers and his experiences within the newly rebuilt SHIELD. There weren't many people alive today who were truly before the Sergeant's time.

"You can't trust anyone." The Sergeant informed her seriously. Eve let her lips tilt into a frown, having figured that would be his answer. In the Sergeant's world, he couldn't trust anyone. Not even his closest friends. It was how he had lived the last seventy five years, why would that change in a few months of service?

"Sometimes, I believe you." Eve admitted, pursing her lips and scrunching her nose at the screen again. Why was it so hard to decide who to trust? Why?

"You can trust Steve." The Sergeant offered, shifting his weight onto his right foot as he leaned against the wall by his shoulder, trying his hardest to look nonchalant. Eve let the annoyed look fall from her face as she closed out of the work she had been doing, turning to give her full attention to the Sergeant. It wasn't often that he went to seek her out and she wanted to know what this was about and why he was promoting her trust in Steve.

Maybe he actually needed a friend who wasn't Steve. It wasn't likely, but there was always the possibility that he was beginning to see that she wanted him to think of her as a friend as well. He was already her friend, she wanted to know that the feeling was mutual.

"Are you saying that as Bucky Barnes or the Winter Soldier?" Eve asked curiously, not surprised when the muscle in his jaw twitched at the sound of his old names. Steve was the only one to call him Bucky, everyone else called him Barnes or, in Eve's case, the Sergeant. No one called him the Winter Soldier anymore unless they wanted to fight. That was the fastest way to piss him off.

"I'm saying it as someone who knows him well." He hedged. Eve accepted that answer. The Sergeant had given no indication of what he wanted to be called the entire time she'd known him and they'd never been officially introduced, therefore she just called him Sergeant or Serge like she had on missions. If he came up with a name he wanted, she would call him that. But calling him Bucky was presumptuous and calling him the Winter Soldier just seemed cruel. Not to mention that calling him the Winter Soldier would be a death sentence.

"I know I can trust him. Just like I can trust you. Or Natasha." Eve reminded him pointedly. He just shook his head a little, looking towards the window.

He was dressed in a cream sweater with blue jeans, his hands tucked into the pockets. The jeans fit him well, the sweater just a little too big. If she looked at it long enough, Eve realized that she recognized the sweater as one she'd seen Steve wear. Had Steve given it to him or had he just taken it? There was a time when the only time the Sergeant got dressed was when Steve shoved him into regular clothing. And that clothing had usually come from Steve's closet, so it wasn't that surprising to realize that the other man still had a bunch of clothes that were Steve's. It was kind of funny to see it, though.

"Trusting Natasha and I is probably a mistake." The Sergeant offered, eyes finding her again. There was an odd look in them, almost pleading. Like he really wanted her to say that she didn't trust him.

"Neither of you have ever given me a reason not to trust you. And you did save my life. That seems pretty trust worthy to me." Eve motioned him closer, leaning down to place her laptop on the floor. She came up with a pack of cards and the Sergeant made his way over to the bed slowly, like a scared animal. Eve let him move at his own pace, pulling out the cards and starting to shuffle them absently. It had been three days now since they'd gotten to Sam's house and Eve hadn't seen much of Steve in the last two days. Natasha had let her know that there was a gym set up in the basement and that her and Steve took to training there a lot of the time. They were worried about an attack, she could see it in their eyes, but neither would come out and tell her. The Sergeant was the only one who didn't seem worried, besides Sam. Sam was at work, as he had been the day before.

Sam was a good guy and Eve had met him on various occasions. He hadn't known who she was Seraphim until she'd shown up with Natasha and Steve, but he had taken it in stride, just like everything else. Eve was just happy that he hadn't had a huge moment where he'd yelled at her for not telling him. They'd only met through Maria once or twice during Stark parties, but he had always been an open ear and Eve enjoyed his company. It was actually kind of interesting to see Steve and Sam interact on a day to day basis.

"We help you because we owe you." The Sergeant informed her as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and climbed onto the bed, perching cross-legged across from her. Eve held in a wince at his words, knowing he didn't mean them cruelly. He couldn't know that that was what scared her most.

"You don't owe me anything." The words came out fiercer than she intended and Eve ducked her head to count the cards out, avoiding the searching look the Sergeant sent her. He was obviously confused, but she didn't know how to explain it to him. Natasha, Steve, the Sergeant, they were the only people she trusted in the immediate area. The only people who knew where she was and could protect her. They were the only ones close to her. She didn't want them to save her because they felt like they owed her, she wanted them to think of her as a friend, an equal. Someone they could trust in return. And she wanted to help them just as much as they wanted to help her.

"You've saved our lives more often than we've saved yours. Besides, the last time I saved you, I almost killed you." The Sergeant motioned to his own hairline as she finished dealing, her own fingers brushing the lump on her head. The stitches were still there and she had a dark bruise on her forehead, but it wasn't terrible. The scar would look pretty cool, at least.

"That was an accident." Eve reminded him.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, picking up his cards and avoiding looking at her. Eve fought the urge to stare at him in surprise, instead picking up her own cards and looking them over before looking up at him, a small smile on her lips. It was interesting that he felt guilty. Some at SHIELD would argue that the Winter Soldier could never feel guilt, that he was a machine and that was it. But, sitting before her, the Sergeant looked almost like a guilty child, head dipped down so that a few strands of hair fell into his face, his shoulders slumped, and his grip on his cards tight. If Eve didn't know any better, she would think he'd regret it if she died.

"It's fine. It wasn't your fault. Besides, I think you've more than made up for it." She informed him. The tightness in his shoulders slowly faded and she let herself breathe out in relief, glad she'd said the right thing as he picked up a card from the pile. He studied his cards studiously, no expression on his face, before he set one down. Eve pursed her lips, looking down at her own cards before picking one up from the pile as well. A smile started on her lips as she set three of a kind, aces, down before her, placing a seven of hearts in the line.

"Cheater." The Sergeant claimed, no accusation in his tone.

"You love me anyway." Eve teased, not able to hold back a grin when he rolled his eyes at her.

Maybe she didn't know if she could trust Grant and maybe she was having a hard time trusting the rest of SHIELD as well, but Eve knew she could trust the people she was staying with and that was better than most SHIELD agents had in the last few years. She had the Avengers at her back and, no matter what trouble they got into, she knew they would help if she needed them. Not only that, but she had others she could call if shit hit the fan. Others that would protect her and the people she was with if it came to that.

The Sergeant set a ten, jack, queen, king of clubs down and Eve squeaked.

"Now whose cheating?!"

 **Now you know! Grant Ward has made his debut appearance! This isn't technically a crossover fic because Ward is the only one from Agents of SHIELD that will make an appearance, but Agents of SHIELD characters will make cameos in this series as a whole later on. (The Agents of SHIELD parts are basically all AU and will follow the ending of season 2 since season 3 hasn't aired yet and I'm not going to change all of this just because season 3 screws up my AU. Lol) What do you guys think? Can Eve trust Ward? Should she contact him? Will she tell the others what she's thinking?**

 **Also, I have a quick question that has more to do with my own insecurities. Am I putting in too much Bucky and not enough Steve? Because this is a Steve/OC fic, as all of you know, but Bucky is an integral part in this as well. Especially when it comes to Steve's character development. In the next few chapters, I have planned some more Steve/Evangeline one on one time, but do you think I should cut down on Bucky time? Also, in the next few chapters, we will get some Sam/Evangeline time. I realize they've really only been staying in his house and he hasn't been around much, but I'm planning a bigger role for him soon.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think and if you feel like answering my questions too, I respond to all my reviews now as long as you have a fanfiction account. To the people who review that don't, I read yours as well and I appreciate them so much! Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying so far!**


	19. Nightmares and Secrets

**TRIGGER WARNING: References to torture and captivity**

Steve woke with a start, sweat matting his hair and a grimace twisting his lips. Bolting upright, he reached out blindly for his shield, the smooth metal calming his heartrate into a steadier beat. Wide eyes taking in the bedroom around him, Steve found that the small room was cloistering, cutting off his breathing and pressing in on him, the walls all too close for comfort.

Dropping the shield he knew he didn't need, he got up and padded towards the door to his bedroom, frowning when he heard someone shuffling around downstairs. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was only two in the morning. He'd gone up to bed only about three hours ago, after Evangeline had fallen asleep on the couch, again. For some reason, she took to sleeping on the couch instead of warning him she was tired, though he couldn't blame her for her hesitance. He'd basically been avoiding her for the better part of a week, something that had nothing to do with her and more to do with him. It wasn't Evangeline's fault that she was close with Bucky. From what he could tell, they'd been through some shared experiences and it made sense that they were friends.

Bucky didn't talk about his time with HYDRA often, but Steve knew the signs of torture better than most, especially when it came to his best friend. Whatever had been done to him, it was possible that he had a soft spot for Evangeline because she had also been in a situation similar to what he'd gone through. Evangeline didn't really talk much about her own experiences, but Steve was pretty sure that the scars she had weren't from some sort of accident. It was pretty obvious the scars that crisscrossed the backs of her hands were done on purpose, not by chance. No matter the rage that thought brought through him, it wasn't something he could change. And it was good that Bucky had someone relatively normal to talk to instead of just superheroes and Avengers. Seeing Evangeline dealing with her own memories in a healthy way would help him as well. It just annoyed him more than it should that Bucky was close to her when he hadn't quite managed to get there yet.

The footsteps downstairs paused by the fridge and Steve opened the door to his room slowly, not wanting to alert whoever it was to his presence until he was sure they weren't dangerous. Whoever it was, they weren't sneaking around, so the chances of danger were slim, especially when he glanced up and saw that the door to the attic bedroom was cracked open. He'd closed it last night when he'd carried Evangeline up and Natasha rarely slept with the door open, too much of a chance of someone intruding while she was unaware. It was either Natasha or Evangeline downstairs and Steve wasn't quite sure which one it was. Starting down the stairs on light feet, Steve froze when he realized that the person downstairs was Evangeline, her small form moving from the kitchen to the living room, where the TV cast a muted glow across the stairs.

She sank onto the couch without seeming to notice he was there, a water bottle set on the coffee table in front of her.

Steve jogged the last few steps without attempting to be quiet, not wanting to scare the woman with his sudden appearance. She still jumped when she heard him, turning to peer at him over the back of the couch. A flare of annoyance shot through him to see that she was up and walking around on her injuries, but it was nothing compared to the bolt of concern that hit him at the wary look in her golden eyes. Uncomfortably, he realized he was probably confusing her with his mood swings, which wasn't what he wanted to do at all.

"Can't sleep?" Steve asked softly, starting forward so that he could see her better. Evangeline had made something of a nest on the couch, including a pillow from her bed, three different blankets cocooned around her, and a water bottle on the table. It looked like she'd been down there for a while and he frowned a little, wondering what was keeping her awake. Sleep helped with healing and she wasn't going to heal if she didn't get some sleep.

"No." Her answer was to the point, eyes still watching him carefully. It was almost like she was waiting for him to turn around and leave, which he definitely wasn't going to do, not now that he knew she'd noticed his avoidance. If she'd noticed, she was probably going to think he didn't like her, which was the complete opposite of the problem he was having.

"Mind if I join you?" He watched her face for any sign of discomfort, but there was nothing other than a slight hesitation. The hesitation seemed to have more to do with her mind working fast to come up with an answer than with fear of him, which was a good sign. He definitely didn't want her to fear him. He wasn't sure what he would do if she started to fear him.

"There's enough room for both of us." She finally answered, motioning to the rest of the couch. Steve rounded the couch and dropped onto the other end, propping his feet on the coffee table while he tried to figure out what to say. Did he ask why she was up? It didn't seem like a question she'd want to answer. When something was bothering Evangeline, she seemed to close off more often than not. He didn't want her to feel like she had to do that around him, but pushing too hard would force her to. And he didn't want to force her into anything, if he had a choice.

They sat in silence for a while, watching some infomercial that was muted. He contemplated asking her what was wrong a few more times, but could never drum up the courage to take the plunge. If she didn't tell him or she did end up closing off, he knew it would mean more to him than he was ready to admit. And he didn't want her to know that she could so easily hurt him.

"You want to talk about it?" Evangeline asked suddenly, taking the choice away from him. Steve froze for a moment, before carefully turning to look at her, wondering what it was that clued her in that something was wrong. He'd kept his posture carefully relaxed, made sure not to sneak too many glances at her, had even regulated his breathing. Either way, she knew he was upset about something and being honest was hard enough without her eyes watching him carefully, trying to read whatever was bothering him just from his expression.

"Nightmare. I woke up from a nightmare" He finally told her shortly. It wasn't a rebuke and it wasn't meant to scare her off, but he didn't really want to talk about it too much. He was honestly more interested in what was keeping her up and didn't want to make the entire conversation about his own inability to cope with what had happened to him so many years ago.

Pursing her lips, Evangeline rubbed her hands over her bare arms, his eyes drawn to the scars that were visible there. They were silver in the blue glow of the TV and he wondered where they'd come from. He'd pushed off asking for almost a week and still couldn't find the courage. Because those types of scars didn't come from simple accidents. Taking a breath to prepare himself to be shot down, Steve forced himself to look at her, trying not to push for an answer or even make it sound like he _expected_ her to answer.

"You?"

Evangeline looked away from him for a moment, arms wrapping around her own body in a hug. He briefly considered reaching out, pulling her closer to him just to have the comfort of her being there, but it probably wasn't the best moment. Instead, he waited patiently for her to puzzle out her answer. If she said nothing or ignored the question, he would respect that. If she wanted to talk, though, he was more than willing to listen. To try and help.

"Same. I was… captured, I guess. By HYDRA. They held me for a while and tried to get information that they knew I had. I work on a lot of high profile cases, my clearance level is eight, which is above a lot of field agents and specialists. Whatever HYDRA didn't know, they thought I did. When I didn't give them the information…" Evangeline shook her head a little, eyes unfocused as she thought through what she was about to say. Her lips were tilted down into a deep frown, something he had yet to see on her. Steve's entire body tensed at the thought of HYDRA having her in their clutches. Rage burned low in his gut and he had to carefully breathe in and out in an attempt to calm down. He found it horrifying to see her so upset, to see what they'd done to the easy going woman he'd grown to count on over the years. If he got his hands on those HYDRA agents who had hurt her, he'd kill them. "They got creative."

Steve's eyes ran over her again, taking in all the marks with a new light. Anger slammed through him at the thought of someone knowingly hurting her, torturing her for information. Whatever they wanted, it had to have something to do with him and his team, she'd mentioned before that they were the only ones she really worked with. She knew far too much about them and it was definitely dangerous to know such sensitive information, especially in their world. Still, he couldn't believe that no one would have told him she was captured. He would have helped rescue her, would have made sure the people who hurt her never hurt anyone again. She was important to him and almost everyone knew it, even before he'd known exactly who she was. The thought of them keeping it from him had him contemplating calling Maria Hill and chewing her out. Whoever had made the decision of keeping him out of the loop was going to pay.

Taking a steadying breath, Steve glanced away from her for a moment, composing himself as she curled up tighter, seeming to try and protect herself from the memories. He knew a lot about fighting back bad memories.

"I dream about the ice sometimes. I wasn't… I didn't pass out as soon as the plane landed. It hit hard, I was thrown from the seat, but it wasn't like I hit my head or anything that would knock me out right away. I crawled toward my shield, but it was so cold that it didn't matter if I got to it or not. The ship was down and sinking fast into the snow. No one was going to find me in time and I knew it... So I just laid there and waited." Steve informed her, voice even as he spoke the words he'd been rehearsing for so long. It wasn't like he had told anyone about it, not even SHIELD knew he'd been conscious after the landing. He didn't want anyone to know, didn't want them to pity him or anything. But Evangeline had given him a piece of herself and he owed her that much in return. "I wasn't there for long. It was freezing where I landed and it was like falling asleep, really. Didn't feel the sting of pain or anything. Just suddenly woke up in the twenty first century. When it starts to get cold, the nightmares start."

That was the honest truth. He hadn't felt any pain, it wasn't as horrible as others would make it out to be in film adaptation or radio shows. But it was still nightmare inducing to realize that no one was coming for him, especially when the snow started falling and he was alone in a room or in his apartment. He'd made his peace with death the moment he'd decided on landing the plane. He definitely hadn't expected to wake up in the twenty first century what felt like moments later. He hadn't even expected to ever wake up. The fact that he had was still mindboggling, even years later. And fighting off the memories was a lot harder when he was asleep.

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry." Evangeline untangled herself from the blankets to reach over and rest her hand on his where it was fisted on the couch between them, his fingers relaxing as he took in the comfort she was offering. Unable to help himself, Steve took her hand in his, gripping it gently. Her hand was small and cool against his own warm fingers, her fingers surprisingly strong when she gripped his hand tightly. Steve glanced at her and almost sighed. She was watching him with a frown tinging her beautiful face, nibbling on the inside of her bottom lip while she waited to see what he was going to say next.

"Don't look so down, doll. It's in the past. Just hard to go back to sleep sometimes." He reminded her, rubbing his thumb over her fingers in a comforting move. The pet name just slipped past his lips, almost pulling a grimace from him. It had been a long time since he'd lost control of his forties accent and he wasn't really keen on letting her know how easily she affected him.

His thumb brushed the slightly raised scar on the back of her hand and he glanced down, eyeing the X dangerously. Whoever had marked her had done so specifically so that it would be seen by anyone who met her. Steve wanted to know who had done it, but he figured that could wait for another day. Evangeline had told him more than he'd thought she would and he wasn't going to push this, whatever this was. It was nice. Holding her hand, watching her face carefully, it was nice. If only the circumstances were better.

Evangeline nodded slightly, accepting his explanation, before she curled up a little tighter, resting her head against the pillow that she moved to hug with her free arm, eyes sliding back to the TV when she knew for a fact that he was done. He never let go of her hand and she didn't pull away from him either, seeming content with her position. Steve kept a careful hold on her, needing to know she was there and safe now more than ever. Later, he could think about what she'd told him. Later, he could threaten Natasha into telling him if she knew about what had happened. Right now, he was going to let the burning rage go and hope she fell asleep again. Sleep was important to her healing and he didn't mind staying up and watching over her if it meant she would get some smooth, uninterrupted sleep. Sleeping on the couch when they were all awake made more sense now. She probably felt safer knowing they were up and watching over her than when they were all asleep and the HYDRA operatives could sneak in at any moment.

Evangeline started to doze about half an hour later, right as the channel they were watching changed from a vacuum infomercial to one trying to sell some kind of detergent. Steve rarely watched TV when he was alone, but he kept it on, hoping the monotony would held Evangeline sleep. He was gratified when, not long after, she started breathing deeply, her grip on his hand loosening as she fell asleep.

Steve shifted his weight a little, getting more comfortable on the couch. It was going to be a long night, but he'd been through worse. Staying downstairs to watch over her sleeping form and make sure she stayed comfortable wasn't exactly a punishment and he definitely didn't mind if it put her at ease to have someone awake in the room with her. At the very least, he now knew she did trust him. And he would do everything within his power to keep that fragile trust.

 **I'm going the author's notes down on the bottoms of the next couple chapters because there are trigger warnings involved and I really want to make sure that people see them and not just whatever I feel like writing for the day. Let me know if you guys prefer the author's notes at the top or at the bottom, because I'm kind of liking doing them afterwards and it seems like people might read them more that way? I dunno.**

 **Anyway, finally, Steve hears a little more about Evangeline and what happened to her (though if you notice, she says nothing about her capture being right after DC) and we get a pretty intimate moment between the two of them! At least the most intimate we've seen so far. I'm only posting this one chapter today because I want to hear what you guys think of this little scene and how you like his reaction to what she's told him. Do you think his response was appropriate? What do you think of Evangeline having an easier time sleeping with someone awake around her? And what about Steve being awake when he landed the plane?**

 **Also, I'm closing the poll: Bucky is going to get his own story next! I'm already starting the planning process because I'm really excited to get there, even if this one isn't done yet.**

 **Thank you all for reading and thanks for all the great reviews, I love to hear from you and I actually really love responding too! Next time: A little cute scene between Steve and Evangeline, hipster!Steve and badboy!Bucky, and some quality Sam time. Don't miss it!**


	20. Hipsters and Therapists

**TRIGGER WARNING: References to torture and captivity**

"You're going shopping?" Eve asked Natasha, kind of surprised that the other woman had volunteered. Eve had assumed that Sam would do most of the shopping, kind of because the rest of them were wanted fugitives of a terrorist organization but also because this was Sam's house. She didn't expect him to pay, of course, but she assumed they should let him shop so he at least got to eat things that he liked. Sure, Steve was an amazing cook, but that didn't mean that Sam liked all of the things they ate. She'd watched him picked cooked carrots out of his meal a few nights ago, stealthily shoving them onto Natasha's plate. Obviously, there were some things he didn't like.

Unlike the rest of them, Sam Wilson was still strictly labelled a civilian, even if he worked with SHIELD more often than not nowadays. No one officially knew that part of the story accept the few who had the pleasure of working with him. To the VA, Sam was simply a councilor on their payroll. To the US Army, Sam was retired. Too bad SHIELD didn't really care about labels.

"Someone has to go get food. I'm taking Steve and Barnes with me. Wilson has assured me that you'll be safe with him." Natasha ran a brush through her carefully curled hair, smiling a little when the relaxed curls looked completely different from most of her normal hair styles. Eve had to admit that the woman was talented when it came to hair and makeup. She'd even contoured her cheeks to look rounder and fuller, her chin to be softer. Whoever she'd learned from deserved an award, big time. If Eve was half as talented as Natasha was, she would have gone into beauty school instead of Sci Ops.

"Steve and the Sergeant aren't the best at blending in." Eve reminded Natasha carefully. She wasn't calling the plan into question, not really. The thought of all three of them being gone just made her hesitant. Eve knew that Sam would never let anything happen to her and wouldn't let her stay with someone if he didn't one hundred percent trust the person, but it was still odd to be away from her friends after having them around constantly for over a week.

"Yes, but I'm great at it and they'll listen to me. I'll keep the tracker on at all times and we'll make sure that our coms are live just in case we need you. If you need us, all you have to do is call us. Everything will be fine and we'll be back in less than two hours. If Sam tries anything, just punch him." Natasha shrugged with a mischievous grin. Eve didn't even bother to remind her that, should Eve try to punch someone, she'd more than likely break her own hand and the other person would end up uninjured. It was just the way of the world at this point. "Besides, Sam wants to talk to you anyway."

That was never good. If that statement was meant to calm Eve down, it didn't in the least. She'd done her best to keep the house fairly clean in her immobile state, but it was kind of hard to pick up after herself when she still got glares whenever she tried to walk. Steve had finally gotten over avoiding her for the most part, but that didn't mean that he let her go about her business like usual. Instead, he seemed to have doubled his efforts to keep her from moving around too much, intent on her healing process.

"It's nothing to be worried about. As much as I hate to admit it, Wilson is a good guy. Just watch out. He's sneaky and smarter than any of us give him credit for. Out of everyone here, he's the most likely to figure out what happened to you." Natasha tapped the back of Eve's hand, right on her X scars, acting as though she hadn't pointed out something Eve never really wanted to talk about. It had been nice to finally let Steve know at least a little of what had happened, but he still didn't know the whole truth. He didn't know the when, just vaguely the who. And he didn't even know.

Shivering a little, Eve pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her, the Stark Industries logo on the front catching her eye. Her sweatshirt had the print of an Ark Reactor on the front and IRONMAN in large, red letters on the back. It was obvious that Stark himself had given her this, Eve didn't know anyone else on the team who would willingly wear one of Stark's clothing items. All in all, Eve had gotten a good laugh out of finding it stuck in the bottom of one of the drawers in their dresser before pulling it on while Natasha rolled her eyes in the background.

"You don't have to talk to him about it if you don't want to, but you should consider talking to someone about it. I'm not the only one who knows you haven't been sleeping." Natasha informed her softly, finishing up her hair and turning to pull on a pair of sneakers. Eve frowned, knowing Natasha was at least right about her trouble sleeping. The medicine only lasted about five hours, six if she was lucky. Afterwards, she'd wake up in a cold sweat, biting back screams. It wouldn't be long before the nightmares were back full force. Her medicine was wearing out and, as good as Natasha was being about it all, no one wanted to live with someone who woke up screaming on a regular basis.

Steve knew about the nightmares, but he didn't know the full extent or how long Eve had been living with insomnia. He just knew that she had them on occasion. No one here knew that the nightmares were a nightly occurrence. And Eve wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

Eve didn't miss the veiled reference to her night on the couch with Steve, not by a long shot. It wasn't something she was going to forget any time soon and Eve didn't appreciate the blatant reminder. Natasha had been good at keeping the teasing to a minimum, but that didn't mean that Eve missed all of the sideways glances or veiled reminders. Natasha had been the one who had found them that morning, Eve asleep and Steve watching TV like he hadn't been up almost all night. It hadn't been mentioned in the few hours since and Eve was thankful that Natasha was letting her have time to come to terms with how she felt about it instead of starting the teasing immediately.

Natasha also didn't know that Eve had told Steve about being kidnapped by HYDRA. She was aware Natasha and even the Sergeant knew that she had been captured and tortured for information. They probably even knew the how and the when, which she'd been keeping from Steve and planned on telling him at a later point. A far later point. Either way, they knew more than most people did, yet Eve didn't want to talk about it and they respected that. Telling them she'd let Steve in on the secret wasn't exactly high on her to-do list, though she knew she probably should. It was entirely too likely that Steve would start asking questions. Questions he'd want them to answer.

"Talking doesn't really help." Eve shook her head, smoothing a hand over her own hair to rid herself of too serious thoughts in her head. She'd finally convinced Natasha to put it up in a bun after an hour of begging. It had taken three hours to straighten all of her hair, but the bun was solid and her long hair was all coiled up, off her neck. It was nice to have it out of the way for once in her life, even if it had taken forever to do. Honestly, she owed Natasha one hell of a thank you for that one.

"Have you tried talking?" Natasha shot back.

"Right after it happened, there were a series of SHIELD psychologists and Stark Industries hired some as well. They didn't figure out how to calm it down." Eve shrugged a little. There were only three people in the entire world who knew the entire story of what happened to her. Nova, Nova's mother Margaret, and Maria. Some people knew bits and pieces, like Steve and Natasha, but Eve didn't like to talk about everything she'd gone through.

Telling the psychologists wasn't a good idea when any of them could have been HYDRA and Eve wasn't exactly trusting after she'd gotten home. It had taken a while to get her out of medical and into her own apartment, but she hadn't been able to sleep in years. It wasn't anything new. The only difference was that her room at the Tower had been sound proofed so no one heard her waking up. This room wasn't and she shared it with someone, making the thought of sleep more terrifying than usual.

"Sam runs sessions at the VA. He's seen cases like yours. He might be able to help." Natasha offered, oddly seeming to encourage her talking to Sam. Eve just shrugged, biting back a scathing retort. It wasn't Natasha's fault that she'd been hurt and it wasn't her fault she was pushing her to get help. Others had before. Eve just didn't know how to accept it. Maybe, some day, when the memory wasn't so painful, she could talk about it…

"Are you ready?" Steve interrupted the conversation, walking in in a pair of form fitting jeans and a navy blue sweatshirt that strained around his shoulders. Eve burst out laughing at the sight of the horn rimmed glasses on his nose, a frown on his lips as he looked over at her. He seemed to pause for a moment, eyes pinned to the bun in her hair before he seemed to come back to himself. "What?"

"Oh my god, is that seriously your disguise?" The baseball cap was firmly on his head, of course it was, and Eve was tempted to take a picture, wanting to be able to show it to him and point out all the problems with his 'disguise'. Instead, she just giggled, unable to do much else at the sight of the annoyance on his face, his narrowed sky blue eyes pointed directly at her.

"I picked out his outfit for the day and he definitely rocks the hipster look. Could you imagine how much a picture of him dressed like this would go for online?" Natasha asked seriously, a teasing glint in her eyes. Eve knew that she would actually contemplate selling pictures of the other Avengers online if she thought it wouldn't put them in danger. That was just the way that Natasha was. Besides, it would definitely be a steady revenue.

"I would definitely put a bid in." Eve informed them, a large smile breaking her face. It wasn't even that he was dressed differently, it was how young he suddenly looked that also had her giggles going. Logically, Eve knew Steve had been buried in the ice at around her own age, twenty seven or twenty eight, and he hadn't actually physically aged a day during his entombment. That made him around thirty two, physically. But it was still sometimes hard to remember that he was only about five years older than her when he always acted so much older. He took the weight of the world on his shoulders and it made him seem older, worldlier than the rest of them. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that he was fairly young in the scheme of things.

There were times, on missions, when he seemed like he was a hundred years old, instead of only in his thirties. But there were also times when she saw how young him and Natasha were, when they were honestly scared of something. In this moment, she was reminded again. Natasha really wasn't too old either, only a year or two older than Eve herself. Her life experience and the training she'd had, the things she'd seen, they made her seem so much older some days. But they were young in the world. Not even middle age. And people trusted them with the saving of the world when, sometimes, it was obvious that they still had that small amount of childishness in them that others wouldn't believe was there.

Natasha was dressed up to go out on what she saw as a mission and she'd dressed Steve up in a way that would distract from his real identity while also giving her a small form of amusement, something other agents would claim didn't even exist in Natasha's thought process. The way Natasha was grinning and the way Steve was glaring, they looked like siblings who had gotten into an argument, still young and inexperienced in the world.

It was an odd thing to see, but kind of adorable.

"No pictures. And I traded out the shoes this time." Steve motioned to his feet, where sneakers were firmly tied into place. Natasha had on sneaker wedges and she grinned at the sight of his shoes like she was laughing at some inside joke before throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder and striking a pose. She was dressed in a pair of form fitting black skinny jeans that hugged her legs perfectly, a flowing red tank top covering her torso. It was one of Wanda's outfits, according to Natasha, and it fit her well. There were red arm warmers that went with it and Natasha had those on as well, hands on her hips and her feet shoulder width apart. Ready for a fight.

"I decided to dress a little differently too. Now, Eve, be good, don't let Wilson drag you into any trouble, and call us if there's trouble. We're only going about half an hour away, but keep an eye on the coms just in case we need an evac." Natasha warned, reaching out to take Eve's hand. Eve squeezed her fingers gently, not surprised when Steve scooped her up from her spot on the bed in their room, starting down the stairs towards the first floor.

"Call if anything seems suspicious. I don't care how stupid it is. Nat, Buck, and I will keep our phones on and our coms in our ears, so don't be afraid to use either. Sam will keep you safe, he's got eyes all over the neighborhood and we have a meeting place set up just in case." Steve informed her as he moved her down another set of stairs until he could set her gently on the couch. His arms were warm and strong around her and Eve laid her head on his shoulder for a moment, wishing that it meant more than it did. Honestly, she knew Steve would do this for anyone, he was just that kind of guy, but it was hard not to read into it when he was so gentle and caring. Setting her on the couch, Steve eyed her seriously.

"I'll call if something happens, but it won't." Eve reminded him easily, surprised when he pulled her into a tight hug. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Eve hugged him back reassuringly, rubbing soothing circles on his back before he pulled away to peruse her like she might disappear if he wasn't careful. "Nothing will happen. Just be safe."

"I'll take care of her." Sam stepped into the room, the Sergeant right behind him. The Sergeant was dressed just as ridiculously as Steve and Eve stifled another bout of giggles at his outfit.

Natasha had truly outdone herself with this outfit choice. The Sergeant had his long hair yanked back into a bun at the back of his neck, loose strands falling around his jaw to soften his face into something slightly less severe. He had on a pair of square glasses, a forest green v neck tee shirt with a leather jacket thrown over it. He had on leather driving gloves that covered his hands and jeans that were almost as tight as Natasha's, feet shoved into black motorcycle boots. He looked like the definition of a hipster punk and Eve couldn't stop laughing.

"Stop." The Sergeant demanded, reaching down to shove her gently into the couch. Eve just snorted, pointing at his bun. It was a lot less intricate than her own, but it was still funny to imagine Natasha sitting him down to allow her to force his hair to cooperate into such an elegantly disheveled twist.

"I love you guys." Eve informed them, still laughing. Natasha just shook her head with a grin, probably knowing that her styling expertise was the reason for Eve's uncontrollable giggles.

Steve turned to eye Sam speculatively while Natasha sent her a covert wink, which Eve just rolled her eyes at after peeling her attention away from the boys. Natasha was still teasing her about having a crush on Steve. It felt like Eve was back in grade school with a crush on the cutest boy in school, a boy who would never notice her in a million years. Of course, Steve obviously knew who she was, but that didn't mean that he would notice her as a woman, much less as a dateable woman. The sooner Natasha realized that, the less teasing Eve would have to put up with.

"Come on, Cap. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back." Natasha reached out and grabbed Steve by the arm, physically dragging him from the room. He grabbed his shield as they walked out, one last look over his shoulder at all of them before the Sergeant was blocking his view of the room. The Sergeant threw a wave of her shoulder and Eve waved back, smiling until the door shut.

"You all are a pain in my ass." Sam sighed, dropping into the other chair. The coffee table had the coms set up on it and the screen was already open, giving them a nice view of the GPS Natasha had enabled as well as a steady heartrate for the three of them. If something happened, Eve would know.

Eve and Sam sat in silence, the house eerily quiet now that it was just the two of them. Eve fought back a shiver as the giggles left her now that the reality of the situation sunk in. She was alone with Sam, who she knew on a vague basis at best. He was a good guy, Eve knew that, but it was still weird not to have the superheroes around to make sure nothing happened. If HYDRA knew where they were, their best chance of attacking was now, when Sam and her were alone.

"Natasha said you might want to talk to me." Eve finally spoke, the silence having turned awkward.

"I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. With the injuries you've had previously and the new ones now, it was bound to bring up some unpleasant memories." Sam offered, leaning forward in his chair to rest his elbows on his knees. His hands clasped together and he watched her with an open look on his face, obviously wanting her to open up to him. Or at least trust him. Trust was hard to come by when people were out to kill you, though, and Eve wasn't really sure she wanted to tell Sam everything she was feeling. It felt like a betrayal to the others in the house. The ones who knew her better.

"You don't know the circumstances of my other scars." Eve reminded him instead of telling him about the nightmares that were steadily getting worse, sitting up a little straighter on the couch. He would probably assume she'd hurt herself or she'd been in an accident, most people did. She'd long ago given up being offended and now was resigned to the odd stares she received if she dared to wear a bathing suit somewhere.

"No. I'm not going to pretend to either. You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable, but I've seen similar scars on others before. With your hair like that, I can see the ones on your upper back and I've gotten glimpses of some on your arms and legs, your neck. Those aren't scars that come from car accidents." He offered. Eve flinched a little, hand automatically running over her neck to check his story. Sure enough, the tips of the scars that cross her shoulder blades were visible, the scars raised bumps against her light touch.

"I'm not trying to hide them." Eve finally informed him after a long moment of silence, rubbing at the scars that came up to the back of her neck. They had been particularly painful to get and she tried not to think on it too much, knowing that even remembering that little bit could send her into a panic attack. As much as Sam wanted to help, he probably wasn't betting on a panic attack.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked seriously. Normally, Eve would yell at someone for even hinting that her scars were something to be ashamed of, but she knew that wasn't what he meant. He meant that she wasn't hiding them, but she wasn't showing them either and he'd noticed. Chewing gently on her bottom lip, Eve thought through her answer, not wanting to give away too much. Talking about her scars was different than telling him the entire story. And knowing she had nightmares didn't equate to having to tell him what exactly had given her those nightmares. It would feel like a betrayal to Steve and Natasha and even the Sergeant if she told Sam more than she'd told them. Technically, she hadn't really told Natasha and the Sergeant anything, but they knew more than Steve did.

"People stare. And ask questions. They aren't questions I want to answer." Eve sighed, pulling the sweatshirt she was wearing off and letting him see the full extent of the scars on her arms. Her entire body was littered with similar marks, most of them about an inch long, cut with surgical precision. Some were deeper than others and more raised from her skin, not allowed to heal quite as delicately as the others. The scars along the insides of her arms were very distinct. About the size of dimes, they were scattered among various other old wounds. There would be identical ones on her stomach and a few on her chest as well. Her inner thighs also boasted a few. They were made by the burning of cigars and cigarettes into her flesh as a means of putting them out. They were particularly painful and the easiest to discern whereas the knives, scalpels, and daggers left behind much the same marks when the men weren't particularly put out.

Natasha had seen the scars on her arms at night and Steve had gotten glimpses while she was in the hospital, but Eve had been careful not to really let them see what the scars meant to her. A constant reminder of the pain of her past. A lot of psychologists blamed her hiding them on shame, but it wasn't about being ashamed. She wasn't ashamed of what she'd lived through, wasn't ashamed of keeping the secrets she'd been entrusted with. It was more complicated than that.

Sam moved forward in his chair a little, head cocked as he looked over the marks that littered her arms and chest. She was wearing a tank top under the sweatshirt and it didn't cover the scars that crossed her chest either, scars that were less concerning than the ones that crossed her back to most people. Not to her.

"They didn't expect me to live. In the beginning, everything was surgical precision. But, after a while, it became obvious to them that I wasn't going to go down without a fight, so this happened. They were being sloppy." Eve turned slightly to give him a good view of the scars that crossed her back. Her sweatshirt had covered them, but her tank top, with its racer back, didn't. His gasp was enough to let her know that he knew what had made those. The whip marks were raised and thin, crisscrossing her upper back and shoulder blades.

There was nothing tragically beautiful about the raised scars on her back. She'd seen people try to romanticize it, seen people try to make them into something beautiful, but they weren't. They were ugly and she could still feel the phantom ache of the whips biting into her skin some nights when she woke from her nightmares with tears streaming down her face. The pain would never go away, the memories never fade. It wasn't something she thought about often, but Eve knew that there were people in the world that would try and make her story something to look up to. It wasn't. She'd gone through terrible things, things she'd never wish on anyone, not even her worst enemies.

There were scabs from where the glass had bitten into her skin during the incident at the Tower, but most of those were closed and healing now, most of the scabs having come off to leave behind small pink lines. The two cuts from the glass that had required stitches were lower on her back, one by her right hip and the other up under her left shoulder blade. They weren't visible while she was wearing the tank top and the effect was more chilling that way, leaving behind the echo of other memories, worse memories.

Pulling her sweatshirt back on, Eve turned to face Sam, not surprised when he looked a little horrified.

"You have questions I won't answer. That's why I don't like wearing revealing clothing. That's why I keep my skin covered. And that's why I make sure to wear my hair long. There are some things that are better left unsaid. Not to mention that it's against protocol to reveal what happened to me, should anyone ask." Eve informed him crisply.

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about, but there are times when talking about things can help. Especially when it comes to sleeping." Sam offered, posture still open. Eve had done her best to shut the conversation down, but a yawn escaped her at the worst moment ever and she stifled it quickly, shooting Sam a glare when she saw him smile slightly at the sight of it. "You need sleep. And experiences like the one at the Tower can bring back memories of things that haunt you."

"The Tower was a different experience all together. It wasn't the same and my insomnia is no worse because of it. Maria was afraid I would have trouble if I was out in the field after everything, so she took away my field clearance as soon as I was home. But it isn't the same. Fighting for your life is different than waiting to die." Eve reminded him, shivering a little at the thought. She'd made her peace a long time ago. Back when she'd been locked away with HYDRA, the only thing to look forward to another day of torture. HYDRA hadn't thought she'd live and she hadn't thought she would either.

"If you did want to talk to someone who actually has clearance to know, I'd recommend Barnes or Steve or Natasha. They've all been through similar things. Barnes still struggles with his time in HYDRA and Natasha was brought up basically in a torture chamber." Sam offered. Eve let out a bitter little laugh, shaking her head.

"The Sergeant has enough on his plate at the moment. He doesn't sleep any more than I do and I don't think knowing about why I don't sleep will help him at all." Eve informed Sam seriously. She knew the Sergeant was probably the one who would understand her best. He had been in HYDRA's hands and survived it. It would be either him or Natasha. But she didn't want to add to his nightmares, didn't want to add more stress to his life. He was still healing himself and Eve wanted to help him, not hinder his progress. He'd probably listen to her, maybe even try to help, but it wasn't his cross to carry. "Natasha already knows what happened. She doesn't talk about it, but she's read my file. Steve… I told Steve a little about it, last night. He knows the base story. But knowing all of it, everything that happened…"

Eve shook her head sadly, not knowing how to tell him that it wasn't an option. Maybe later, when they weren't in danger. Or when she was more comfortable, felt safe. But right now it was too much. They were her friends, but they hadn't all been friends long and Eve wasn't about to dump her problems on them. If she needed to talk, she would call Nova or Maria. She needed to call them anyway. Either way, she wasn't going to give them all the entire story, not when she wasn't sure how long their friendship would last. Would it last after the immediate danger was gone? Would it last after they all went back to their regular lives? It was too early to tell.

"If you ever need an open ear, I'm here to listen and help. PTSD is my specialty and I've managed my baggage. You won't be putting anything on me that I didn't ask for and I want to help any way I can." Sam reminded her, seeming to wilt a little now that he knew she wasn't about to spill her secrets. Eve knew he wanted to help, but she wasn't ready for it yet. Maybe after she got to know him better…

"Thank you for the offer. I'll keep it in mind." Eve promised, looking back down at the coms unit and taking inventory. No one had hit their coms or their panic button and their heartrates were steady. At least they were comfortable.

 **This is a particularly long update, but I couldn't find a part to cut it at until here. There's another part of this and yes, you do get to see shopping through Steve's mind in the next chapter, so don't miss that.**

 **I added Sam in because he's been abandoned, but I hope your Steve/Evangeline wasn't lacking with the cute little scene at the beginning. And their outfits make me laugh, so I hope you enjoyed.**

 **What do you guys think of the outfits? Think Natasha did good? And what about Sam and Evangeline? Do you think they'll be friends? And what do you think the shopping trip will hold? And what does Natasha all know about Evangeline's past?**

 **And how do you like Sam? Do you think he's in character enough? I'm trying to keep from going too OOC, so let me know if there are discrepancies in characters!**

 **To everyone who favorites and follows, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy my writing and the rest of the story as well. To everyone who reviews, keep them coming, I read and reply to everyone. To those without PMing or Fanfic accounts, I read all the reviews and I thank you as well! If you have any questions but don't want an account set up, I'll answer in my little author rants. Anyway, this is it for today, let me know what you think!**


	21. Grocery Shopping

**I had to fix this! I accidently put an unedited chapter in this spot and I'm totally sorry for that! This is the chapter that's supposed to be here.**

 **Here we have a bit of shopping with Steve, Nat, and Bucky. I, personally, love this chapter. Especially overprotective Steve. Didn't get much of a response for the last update, though I'm still hoping you guys liked having a bit more info on what happened to Eve and having more of a Sam interaction. Posting two updates today because I love the next chapter too and everyone wants to see more one on one with Steve and Eve, so let me know what you think of this one and the next one too!**

Steve rolled his eyes as Natasha eyed the ingredients to some frozen dinners, reading them off with quick precision. She'd insisted on getting some things that could simply be thrown in the oven ready to eat, but was more than picky about what was actually in the dishes. Why she had a problem with his cooking, he would never know, but he left her there in the frozen foods. Bucky was in the next aisle and Steve went to check on him instead of waiting for Natasha to finally finish.

Bucky was staring at the yogurt, his expression forced into something that resembled interest. They'd been there for two hours and Natasha was only about halfway done with her list. If they stayed any longer, they were going to have to send Sam and Evangeline a message to let them know they were fine. Steve was more than bored at this point and wished he could just go back to the house. Leaving Evangeline behind hadn't been something he'd been happy to do and the longer they were away, the worse he felt about it.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Steve rolled onto his toes before rolling back, jaw clenched as images of what could have happened while they were gone ran through his mind. She could be hurt. Someone could have broken into the house. Sam would try everything he could to keep her safe, but he wasn't like them. He was still just one man and Evangeline would never let Sam get hurt to save her life. If HYDRA found out who she was, it was more than likely they'd do whatever they could to get her back, to find out what she knew. He wouldn't be able to help himself if someone took her again. There would be no letting it go or waiting it out.

"She's fine." Steve jumped when Bucky spoke, having expected him to stay silent like he did so often now. "Eve. She's fine. You don't have to worry so much."

"I know, Buck." Steve sighed a little, moving to look at what Bucky had in his hand that he'd been looking at. It was some Orange Sherbet yogurt that he was pretty sure the other man had never eaten before. There were a few other things, a tub of just regular yogurt, some cheese, a gallon of milk. Natasha hadn't gotten this far yet, she was working her way from the front of the store to the back, but Bucky seemed to know what he wanted. At least one of them did.

"Sam will keep her safe." Bucky seemed remarkably calm for someone who hated being out in the open so much. For the first time in a long time, it seemed like Steve was the one who was the most upset between the two of them. Then again, he'd been on guard all night. There was no way he was letting Evangeline be alone and scared. And leaving her after finding out she'd been tortured, at the hands of HYDRA no less, was a little too uncomfortable for his liking. It hit a little too close to home. And he was suddenly terrified that they would come back for her, steal her away and use her like they'd done Bucky. Or just kill her. And he wasn't sure which one was worse. He wasn't sure that they'd be able to save her like they had Bucky, even if they had a chance.

"I know." It came out harsher than he intended, but all Bucky did was raise an eyebrow before moving off to find Natasha. Steve followed slowly, reaching down to grab his phone out of his pocket. It was incredibly hard to fit his phone in his pants pocket because the pants were so tight, so he'd shoved it in the pocket of his sweatshirt instead. Typing out a quick text to Evangeline, he hid the phone before turning the corner to eye Natasha and Bucky, who were in an intense stare off with a box of premade Chinese food. "Okay, that's enough for the premade food. We have enough food here to last at least the week."

To anyone else, it would last more like a month, but Steve and Bucky ate more because of their serums, not to mention there were three other people to worry about. The cart was piled high with food and Natasha scoffed before putting the Chinese back and starting towards the milk and eggs and such. Bucky followed after her and Steve's pocket buzzed, letting him know that he had a text.

Pulling out his Stark phone, he eyed the message Evangeline sent. 'We're fine. How are you doing?'

Steve fought a grin, tapping out a response as he deftly followed Bucky after Natasha, ignoring what they were putting into the cart. He could figure out how to make whatever they wanted, he just hoped it wasn't all health foods, the kind Natasha ate avidly. She made sure to have a healthy all-around diet as well as some protein bars and shakes to keep her going. Steve ate whatever the hell he wanted and ignored her warnings about fat and getting enough of certain vitamins. His diet was pretty good and he wasn't compromising his appreciation for the food of this millennium just because Natasha felt the need to.

'Natasha just stared at a package of Chinese food for about ten minutes and Bucky is putting anything that looks good to him in a cart. We have a lot of food.' Steve typed back, sending the message. He got an answer almost immediately.

'I'm sure that we won't starve. Besides, you're a great cook.'

Steve grinned at the compliment, glancing up to see that Bucky and Natasha were in an intense discussion about what milk to get. Bucky had put in some whole milk, thick like they'd enjoyed in their youth, while Natasha wanted to get almond milk or soy milk, claiming it was healthier for them. Bucky obviously didn't like that idea, from the angry scowl on his face. If a fight broke out, Steve was so leaving their asses behind.

'We won't starve, but Buck might kill Nat before the day is over.' Steve warned her, glancing back to see that the two teenagers that had been following them around for the last half an hour seemed to have found a few friends. He tensed when he realized they were watching Natasha and Bucky, hoping they weren't actually listening to the snapping conversation, which had changed from English yelling to Russian snarls in the last two minutes. Steve tucked his phone away and reached out, snatching the milks out of their hands and putting both kinds in the cart, now wanting to leave. If the teenagers recognized them, they were going to have to leave again. And leaving would be torture if he couldn't go pick up Evangeline from Sam's house first.

"We're being watched." Steve murmured as he started herding Natasha towards the cart. He took the cart from her immediately, figuring it was suspicious that such a small woman could push a cart that had to weigh over a hundred pounds. Steve barely noticed the weight of it, too busy watching Natasha pull out her phone and check over their shoulders to see what the kids were doing.

"They're a bunch of teenage girls, Rogers. What do you think they're looking at?" Natasha laughed a little, rolling her eyes. Steve frowned, glancing back and wondering why all the girls ducked out of his view as soon as he glanced at them. Bucky was ignoring them completely, swiping a bag of candy off the shelf to throw into the cart.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked quickly, still jittery. If someone recognized them and it got onto the internet, there was a chance Evangeline would be in danger before they got back to the house. The next safe house they would go to was a two day drive away and Steve wasn't sure he could survive worrying about her safety for two days while being unable to check up on her.

"They're looking at you, dumbass. Well, you and Barnes. Probably mostly Barnes, actually. You look like a nerd but Barnes is the classic bad boy at the moment. They haven't made us, they're just following around hot guys." Natasha explained, rolling her eyes at him. Steve's frown didn't leave as he eyed his best friend, wondering what she meant. Bucky wasn't a bad boy. In fact, he hadn't been back in the day either. Bucky was the kind of guy who took girls out dancing and to shows then walked them home afterward. He wasn't a virgin by any means, but he only did that stuff with women who were okay with it. He wasn't loose by any standards. Even now, Bucky had little interest in the women of SHIELD who had flocked to him in the beginning. Part of it could have been because he wasn't mentally stable at the time, but it was also because Bucky had never found a dame he wanted to stay with seriously. Steve didn't blame him in the least.

But he wasn't a 'bad boy'. It wasn't his style. Maybe they were confused by the leather jacket? It wasn't like Bucky had picked his outfit. In fact, when Bucky picked his own clothes, he tended to pick out sweaters and warm clothing, not leather and definitely not tight or restricting. He said it reminded him too much of his HYDRA uniform.

"Are we done then?" Bucky asked seriously, throwing another box of something, looked like poptarts, into the cart.

"Stop throwing things into the cart, Barnes. And yes, we can be done. I think we have enough food." Natasha agreed, not mentioning the other things she'd thrown in while they'd wandered the store. She'd grabbed clothes and bathroom necessities, movies and tech. The entire bottom of the cart was made up of clothing she'd claimed was for Evangeline, though some of it looked like it would be too big for her. She'd also gotten a bunch of clothes for them, as if they needed it. Steve hadn't even bothered to fight her on disguises. If they ever needed to go out, Natasha was the expert.

Steve pulled his phone out as they made their way to a register, rolling his eyes when Bucky threw some granola into the cart as well. Natasha had already put in three different kinds.

Evangeline had sent him a picture and Steve opened it, staring in surprise at the picture of Sam at the stove, something on fire in the pan he was holding.

"What the fuck?" Steve muttered, looking down at the words that were under the picture.

'Sam's trying to get us killed.'

"What's wrong?" Natasha peered over his shoulder and started laughing as soon as she saw the picture. Bucky came to look too, blinking at the image with a twitch of the lips. From him, that was as good as bursting into laughter.

"I'm going to kill them both." Steve groaned, rubbing his forehead as he started walking away, dialing Evangeline's number. Starting things on fire, really? He'd left them alone for a few hours and they were already trying to burn the house down. Evangeline was worse than Natasha. Not that Natasha would burn the house down should she be left alone, she was more likely to break something than to actually _set it on fire_.

'Hello? What's up, buttercup?' Evangeline sang into the phone, sounding no worse for wear. Steve let out a silent breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, happy to know that she wasn't hurt, at least. Annoyance replaced the immediate worry and Steve practically growled as he moved out of the store, towards the car. He could pull it up closer for Natasha and Bucky to load. It gave him a better excuse for leaving than to say that he was _that_ worried about Evangeline. So worried he had to call just to ensure she was alright.

"Are you guys trying to give me an aneurism?" Steve asked seriously, striding towards the maroon Suburban they had traded to during their drive. Steve didn't like the idea of using the Suburban any more than necessary, but Sam's small car wasn't big enough to fit all of them and the groceries they were hauling.

'I'm not, but Sam might be. Don't worry, he just caught a towel on fire after burning the French toast. I put it out and we've stopped attempting to cook.' Evangeline informed him. Steve figured it was lucky that Evangeline was good with plans or they probably would have actually burned the place down. She was great in a crisis and would know what to do if something happened. Something he conveniently forgot sometimes. It was just hard when she was a noncombatant and in danger. He didn't like to think of her getting hurt again and he would live happily if he never had to see her in that kind of pain again.

"Good. You know, Sam made us breakfast the last time I stayed at his place and it was good. Nothing caught on fire. Maybe you're just bad luck." Steve teased gently as he started up the Suburban. It was like old times, being on coms with her. Easy banter and no unnecessary stress. It was nice and he missed it, even if having her there, in person, was better. Knowing she was safe for the time being was more comforting than he had anticipated and Steve relaxed a little, starting to drive towards the doors of the store.

'It's entirely possible, but I was still on the couch when he burned the French toast, so that wasn't my fault. How is the shopping experience? Did the Sergeant attack Natasha yet?' Evangeline asked with a laugh, the sound pulling a smile to Steve's lips.

"Bucky just picks shit up and puts it in the cart, Natasha insists on checking the ingredients in everything we buy, and we were being stalked by a bunch of teenage girls. But no deaths yet." Steve recapped quickly, happy when she laughed at his answer. Hearing her laugh was worth the slight embarrassment he felt at admitting teenage girls were following them.

'Well, you know, at least there's no bad guys with guns yet.' Evangeline offered, to which Steve had to agree. All in all, their day out had been a success. They now had food for the week, clothes for Evangeline that weren't borrowed off someone else, and some peace of mind. No one had recognized them and that was a good thing.

Speaking of clothing, Steve conjured up the memory of the sweatshirt Evangeline had been wearing when he'd left, his smile drooping a little. His relationship with Stark wasn't exactly perfect and they tended to disagree on a lot of things, especially when it came to leading the team, so Steve wasn't really surprised that Evangeline wearing a Stark sweatshirt had annoyed him. He admitted his small crush on her, to himself at least, and knew that seeing her in Stark gear just brought up a bunch of feelings he shouldn't have had. Evangeline could wear whatever she wanted, he wouldn't tell a dame she couldn't wear something she liked, but it still brought a shiver of unease through his chest to see her wearing something like that. Something from one of the other male members of the team that could give her more than he could, in the long run. Stark was admittedly good looking, rich, and willing to give his girlfriend anything she could desire. The fact that he was dating Pepper didn't ease Steve's discomfort in the least.

"Nat is checking out then we'll be on our way home, so let's hope that there aren't any bad guys with guns on the drive back either." Steve reminded her, more than happy to be able to say he was on his way back. Of course, Sam's house wasn't exactly home, but it was for the moment. Steve didn't really count anywhere as home at the moment, so it was easy to pretend, for now, that Evangeline was where his home was.

'We'll be waiting. Be good and don't fight with the other kids too much!' Evangeline teased, giggling while Steve just rolled his eyes.

"Promise. See you soon." He hung on the phone for a moment to see if she'd say anything else, wishing that the conversation could last longer. He really did honestly miss the time they'd spent on coms, just bullshitting and teasing one another. It was comfortable and something that had gotten him through some rough times in the past. She'd never know how much her support meant to him.

'See you in a bit. Be careful.' With that, Evangeline hung up and Steve did to, right as Bucky and Nat made an appearance, looking irritated and arguing again.

It was going to be a long ride back.


	22. Truth or Truth?

**Alone at last. A lot more Steve and Eve in this one and some personal bonding time. Hope everyone enjoys! Let me know what you think!**

Eve jolted awake, bolting upright with a shallow gasp, hands flying up to check her back. Raised scars met her fingertips as she hiccupped a sob, biting back any tears that wanted to fall as the phantom pain slowly slipped away with the knowledge that the wounds had healed a long time ago. Her mind was just playing tricks on her. It was alright, she was alright… And Natasha's eyes were open, staring at her, green eyes slightly narrowed. A frown tinged her lips and Eve's chest heaved with each breath, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she waited for the questions.

Nothing came. Natasha simply watched her, curled up like a cat and obviously having woken up by Eve's thrashing. She was buried under some covers and her blonde hair was yanked back into a ponytail, though the ponytail was barely still in her hair anymore.

"I'm going… I'm just gonna go get a drink." Eve pushed out, still breathing heavily. Natasha nodded slightly, opening her mouth and then closing it again. It was the kind of careful thought that Eve didn't want Natasha to have to go through while she was talking to her. Shoving back a shiver of unease, Eve threw the covers back and rubbed at her arms compulsively, the scars a comfort for the moment.

"I think someone else is awake down there." Natasha called after her softly. Eve shot her a forced smile, knowing that that was the best Natasha could do without asking too many questions. Feeling terrible and on the verge of tears, Eve shuffled down the stairs, glad she'd chosen sweatpants to sleep in. It was getting colder outside and so was the house, dropping a couple degrees at night as the gardens froze and snow threatened on the horizon.

Quietly making her way down the stairs, Eve crept past the bedrooms on the second floor before finding the stairs to the first floor and going down them. A light was on and Eve followed the shine to the kitchen, sniffing back tears and wiping at her eyes to try and hide the evidence. She wasn't the kind of person that the tears showed before they fell, but she did flush when she cried and she wasn't looking forward to letting anyone know she was upset.

Stepping into the kitchen and blinking warily, Eve found Steve at the kitchen table, big shoulders hunched and a cup of something steaming sitting in his hands. His long fingers were braided around the mug and he looked up as soon as she stepped in, serious blue eyes taking in her appearance. It didn't help that her arms were wrapped around her waist tightly, her own shoulders hunched against the weight that seemed to drop on them after her nightmares. He didn't say a word, just moved and dragged a chair out for her, the one closest to him.

Eve walked over and lightly perched on the chair, surprised when he pulled her closer to him, almost like he needed the support too. Keeping her mouth shut about it, Eve just set her head gently on his shoulder, leaning against him and sighing shakily.

"Another nightmare?" He asked, voice gruff. Eve nodded, reaching up to play with the tips of her hair nervously. He let out a long breath, finally taking a sip of whatever it was he had. It smelled sweet and she was surprised when he gently nudged the mug towards her, waiting until she hesitantly wrapped her own chilled fingers around the warmth, taking a long sniff of the top. Hot chocolate. He'd made hot chocolate. "Same here. Have some. It helps."

Taking a sip, the sweet chocolate met her tongue and Eve swore it was the best hot chocolate she'd ever tasted. The perfect amount of chocolate and milk, she was definitely going to make him tell her how he made it. After taking another pull, she handed the mug back, knowing that drinking all of it was just plain rude.

"It's good." Eve informed him, looking up to see a small smile flit along his lips, his eyes soft when he glanced down at her.

"Glad you like it." Was his only answer before he took a drink and passed it back, shaking his head when she tried to give it back again. They sat in silence for a little bit, the comfort she derived just from being close to him enough to calm her racing heart and dry her tears. HYDRA had tried to capture Steve before and they had never succeeded. He'd never let them take another one of his friends and he was slowly proving that he counted her as a friend now. No one would take him while he was still left standing.

Eve finished the hot chocolate, setting the mug on the table and sighing a little. Honestly, the drink did help.

"Come on, you're freezing." Steve gently shrugged her off his shoulder, reaching out to take her hand. It seemed like a generally thoughtless movement, he didn't even seem to realize he was doing it, even when she slid her hand into his. His palm was warm against her own and Eve fought a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold, ducking her head a little to hide any reaction on her face. He pulled her up easily, even though she didn't need his help necessarily. After placing the cup in the sink, Steve led her out into the living room, towards the couch, where a blanket was already thrown over the back. Sam was pretty good at keeping blankets in stock and Eve was thankful as Steve motioned for her to sit down, going over to grab a second blanket while Eve pulled the one on the couch over her lap.

He carefully wrapped the blanket he'd found around her shoulder and Eve let him, a soft smile finding its way to her lips as he fussed a little before going to turn out the kitchen light. Surprisingly, he made it back to the couch unerringly even without the light, dropping on the other side, though a little closer to her than last time they'd sat together. Eve wiggled over to him, curling up against his side.

"You're warm." Eve explained, surprised when he laughed a little, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and sinking into the couch a little more. The only light in the room came from the street lamps outside, the muted glow barely allowing her to make out Steve's face in the darkness. She could only see shapes, the curve of his throat, the point of his nose, two dark holes where his eyes would be.

"So…" Steve started, pausing after the word as if he wasn't sure what to say. Eve tilted her head back to look up at him, eyes tracing over what she could see of his face. He could probably see her a lot better, his eyesight was just as enhanced as the rest of him, so she kept her face open and honest, praying to a god she didn't believe in that he wouldn't ask anything about her experience with HYDRA. She actually felt a little better right now and preferred not to ruin it. "What's your favorite color?"

Eve started laughing, ignoring his offended noise.

"What? I can't ask you questions?" He asked, poking at her side gently. Eve noticed he was a lot gentler when he was handling her, as if he was afraid he'd break her even though he'd poked nowhere near where her bruised ribs were. She remembered his grip on her when they were falling and was pretty sure he probably could hurt her if he wasn't thinking clearly, but knew that he wouldn't willingly. And that was what mattered.

"You can't ask me stupid questions." She teased, starting to wiggle away now that his fingers started brushing ticklish spots. For some reason, she was positive she didn't want him to know she was ticklish.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop…" Steve put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back towards him, oblivious to the fact that her cheeks were heating up. He carried her around a lot and they weren't exactly opposed to touching one another, but Eve wasn't used to freely touching people, especially remarkably sexy super soldiers. Not to mention that this was Steve, with his arm around her. That would be enough to make her blush any day of the week.

"My favorite color is purple." Eve informed him to detract from her rapidly heating cheeks, forcing herself to relax into his side. He didn't remove his arm, though he stiffened a little when he seemed to realize he was holding her. She would have pulled away if he wasn't the one holding her against him, every ripple of muscle clearly defined against her own soft curves. "What's yours, Captain Tightpants?"

That was one of her more common nicknames for him while they were on coms and Steve snorted in response, relaxing when he realized she wasn't upset with him or uncomfortable in their current position.

"Blue. Why purple?" Steve asked, leaning his head back against the back of the couch and fully relaxing, fingers brushing gently against the exposed skin on her arm. Eve fought off a shiver when his light touches felt like caresses, his movements casual and soothing in their own way. Her own fingers found the end of her curls again and Eve tugged at them as she thought about it. Why was purple her favorite color? That was an interesting question.

"It was my mom's favorite color. We were basically color coded as kids, not that our mom meant to do that, but it just sort of happened. Alan, my older brother, had orange, I had purple, and Elise had pink. I guess it just reminds me of her." Eve shrugged a little, chest squeezing as she thought of her mother. Her crazy, eccentric mother, who had loved them all more than life itself. Elise didn't remember her as well as Eve did, but Jane St. James was a wonderful woman who didn't deserve her lot in life. She should have been with a man who loved her, who doted on her, and had children who were perfect. Eve, Alan, and Elise were a lot of things, but only Elise came close to perfect. Alan was as bad as they got and Eve… Well, Eve just did the best she could with what she had. "Why blue?"

"Well, you know, I was born on the Fourth of July. So red, white, and blue are kind of a given there. And the suit is blue. Otherwise, I don't really know. It's just a good color." Steve shrugged a little, careful not to disturb her head resting against his shoulder. "What about animal?"

"You're such a dork." Eve gently prodded him in the side, his fingers drumming against her skin gently. "And I guess it would be cats. Kittens, specifically. Technically, I have a cat, over at Nova's parents' house. They let me pick one of the farm cats as mine for Christmas last year. Her name is Baroness."

"Baroness?" Steve asked, a low chuckle shaking his chest.

"Oh, shut up. She's a lady." Eve complained, yanking her blankets a little tighter.

"Besides, dogs are so much better than cats." Steve informed her, sounding all important. Eve gave in indignant squeak, trying to yank away from him, even when he held her down like he was expecting it. "Hey, I always wanted a dog. If I wasn't allergic when I was little, I would have totally taken one of the strays home. But my ma would've tanned my hide."

"You're a dog person?! That's it, Rogers, we can't be friends." Eve informed him, shaking her head in mock disappointment. Steve just laughed, shushing her as he pulled her into his side a little tighter, shifting a little so he was angled and she was pulled to lay partway on his chest, one of her hands bracing on his peck when she almost fell.

"Come on, dogs are just better. You can't teach a cat to sit or fetch or roll over. And a cat will just eat you if something happens to you when a dog would go get help." Steve defended, Eve pushing up on his chest so she was half hovering over him, turning onto her knees and not realizing immediately how close that put her to his face.

"That is a terrible thing to say! And dogs bite people! You get rabies from them. Baroness would never eat me and, if she bit me, it wouldn't be hard enough to break my arm. I can't believe you think dogs are better than cats!" Eve had herself braced on his chest and Steve rolled his eyes at her, not seeming to mind that she was using him to prop herself up. Hovering over him gave her an optimal spot to prove her point.

"I can't believe you're a cat person. Cats have so much dandruff and they knock cups of water off tables." He reminded her. Now, that was kind of true…

"Dogs eat everything! Shoes, pillows, everything." Eve defended herself, smacking his chest softly. Steve didn't even seem to notice, too focused on the argument to care. Cats were so much better than dogs, even if Eve liked dogs. She just liked cats better. It wasn't like that was a crime and she couldn't believe that the all-American boy not only had a favorite color of blue but loved dogs. Next he'd tell her that his favorite kind of pie was apple and his favorite sport was baseball.

"Cats will get into anything. Clean laundry, food if you leave it out, garbage…" Steve was grinning and Eve scrunched up her nose at him, falling into his shoulder with her face when she realized he wouldn't give up. Steve practically jumped when she landed hard, burying her nose into his chest and ignoring his questions. "Be more careful, you're going to hurt yourself."

Eve mumbled out a retort that he probably couldn't make out, sighing a little when he just pet her hair back, still laughing slightly as she shuffled around and made herself more comfortable, deciding that curling into Steve wasn't going to give away any of her hidden feelings. It wasn't like he would notice she liked him. Steve was a lot of brilliant, awesome, amazing things, but he was pretty oblivious when it came to women and Eve thanked god that was true.

"What about food?" Eve asked as she pulled her head away and allowed him to gently check her stitches, which were finally starting to dissolve. In a few days, she should be able to walk around without getting yelled at. Dr. Cho was a miracle worker and had given her some treatments that would advance her healing. They were life savers, even if she hadn't mentioned that part to Steve. Dr. Cho mentioned that they were kind of experimental and side effects were possible. Not likely, but possible. And Eve didn't want Steve 'Massive Worrier' Rogers to hear she might experience side effects from something that Dr. Cho did.

"What about food?" Steve asked like a smart ass, grinning at her exaggerated eye roll.

"If you say your favorite food is apple pie, I'm leaving." She informed him, feigning annoyance. Honestly, this was the most fun she'd had since she'd gotten to Sam's house. Talking to Steve one on one had a way of calming her down immensely. Learning more about him was a major plus, no matter that it was just because they were both trying to forget their nightmares.

"Well…"

 **(I have nothing against cats or dogs, I love them both equally. These are just arguments I've heard. Lol)**


	23. Unsolicited Photographs

**So, there was an accident with ch 21 and I uploaded the unedited version of this chapter (Ch 23) instead. I put the right chapter into the ch 21 slot, however I'm uploading this one because a lot of people have already read the unedited version. I sincerely apologize for the mis-step and thank you AlyssaTargaryen and 10SixPenceWriting for pointing out the mistake for me. I don't know how long it will take to replace the chapter, but I did it this morning, so hopefully it's up in the right spot! Here's the edited version, it's slightly different from the other one, so I hope you enjoy! So sorry about the mix up, it was completely my fault and I apologize!**

Steve jolted awake to the sound of a camera shutter going off, knowing immediately that that wasn't a good thing. His mind caught up with the why a moment later when someone moved in his arms, burying their face into his chest and sighing deeply. Evangeline. He'd fallen asleep on the couch with her last night, after teasing her relentlessly about her animal choices. She'd refused to go back upstairs, saying she wasn't tired, until about four o'clock in the morning, when she'd fallen asleep curled into his side.

She was still there, a comforting weight pressed into his side, one leg thrown haphazardly over his and one of her hands fisted in the material of his shirt right by his hip. Every exhale playing across his collar bone in a tantalizing burst of heat. Her fingers and toes were always cold when she touched him, even after a good night's sleep and a blanket tucked around her, but the rest of her was warm and soft and he never wanted to let go.

His eyes popped open at the sound of another click to find that Natasha was at the foot of the couch with Bucky, both of them with their Stark phones out. A flash went off and Steve ratcheted up his glare, putting on his best Captain intimidation factor. Both of them looked to check the pictures and froze, Bucky's head coming up slowly and his wide grey eyes landing on Steve's own baby blue. Of course, he didn't look the least bit ashamed of having been taking pictures of them without permission. Instead, he looked half a step from bursting into laughter, which was odd for him. Back in the day, Bucky wouldn't have hesitated to tease Steve mercilessly about falling asleep with a woman in his arms. It wasn't considered acceptable when they'd grown up. But the Bucky now was much quieter when he found things funny. At the moment, though, a smile was tugging at the lips of the usually blank faced man.

Natasha looked like Christmas had come early, a full smile blooming on her lips and a teasing glint in her eyes. Steve knew he wasn't going to live this one down and was suddenly very happy that Evangeline was still fast asleep. He didn't want her to have to see that her newest best friend was about two seconds from bursting into laughter at their position. Natasha would tease him endlessly about it, but he didn't want Evangeline to know that. He hadn't even told her that he liked her yet and Natasha was already trying to ruin the fragile peace he'd found.

Then again, if holding her was the only way that Evangeline was going to get any sleep, Steve would do it every night, no matter if she didn't feel the same way about him. Not that there was much self-sacrifice when it came to holding her. In fact, it was almost in his favor. That was the first night he'd slept for more than four hours without a nightmare of his own in months. She calmed his fears and kept him grounded, in the house instead of drowning in ice that had long ago melted from his skin.

"Delete those." Steve demanded, narrowing his eyes at the couple that were standing at the other end of the couch as he pulled himself back to the present. They both smirked, looking particularly dangerous when they held his future relationship with Evangeline in their hands. Maybe there was nothing there or maybe she didn't like him back, but he wanted to find that out for himself. Not through Natasha and Bucky's teasing and not through forcing her to admit whatever she felt because they couldn't keep the teasing at bay. He'd never forced a woman into anything and he wasn't about to start.

"Like hell. This is a prime shot. I'm going to show this to your future children. It'll be like that TV show, How I Met Your Mother." Natasha informed him, practically cackling with glee. Steve had only seen one episode of that TV show and wasn't sure how a picture would be the same, but ignored the obvious attempt to distract him from the present problem. That being that he couldn't get up and threaten them properly without waking Evangeline up, something he didn't want to do. As much as they liked to pretend she was sleeping normally, Steve knew she wasn't. He could hear her tossing and turning at night, the soft sound of her footsteps when she darted to the corner of her bedroom and slid down the wall, staying resolutely in the same spot for hours, barely shifting her weight.

Bucky was having the same problem. Waking up in the middle of the night. Only, he hid in the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. The bathtub, specifically. Steve usually went downstairs around two in the morning and they were both usually up around the same time. His hearing was advanced enough to pick up their movements without conscious effort and he'd taken to mapping out their nightmares, trying to figure out if they were alright. He hadn't heard any dangerous sounds yet, but he tended to go in and check on Bucky when the waiting became too much. He couldn't just walk into Evangeline's room, not without Natasha shooting him or Evangeline thinking he was spying on her. So he settled for checking on his best friend instead, who usually ended up falling asleep in the tub after a while.

Steve had asked Sam to speak with Bucky about finding the tub more comfortable than the bed. Steve didn't know much about normal, but he was pretty sure that wasn't it. Either way, someone needed to talk to him and he wouldn't listen to Steve. Sam was the next best bet unless he wanted to get Evangeline involved. And he preferred Evangeline stay away from Bucky when he was volatile.

"Black mail." Bucky only said one thing, but it certainly got Steve's attention.

"What's black mail?" Steve flinched a little when Evangeline's voice cut through their quiet argument, her voice muffled by the curve of Steve's shoulder. Her soft lips brushed against his collar bone and Steve fought the sensation, knowing that the situation could go from slightly embarrassing to very fucking embarrassing in just a few seconds if he started thinking about her lips.

"This picture we took of you two sleeping together. I don't know why you bother trying to share a bed with me when you can't sleep on it. If Steve makes you feel safer, you should just share his room." Natasha informed them crisply. Evangeline's head came up, her sleep darkened eyes sliding to Steve's face as she pushed off his chest and turned to face Natasha, an eyebrow raised. Steve shifted so he could sit up as well, running a hand through his hair and then down his face, scrubbing at the five o'clock shadow he really needed to shave off.

Natasha didn't know when to keep her damn mouth shut.

"Coffee?" Bucky asked, already moving towards the kitchen. Steve looked up in time to see him tucking his phone away sneakily. Natasha was still staring at them like they were the most interesting thing she'd ever seen. If hitting her were an option, Steve might have considered it. There were times when Natasha need3ed a good talking to. Usually, Barton took care of it, but the other man was probably at his farm or the apartment building with his dog, hiding out just like they were. Maybe Steve would give him a call and remind him to keep his partner on a leash. Otherwise Steve might just ship Natasha out to the other man.

"Please. And send me a copy of that picture!" Evangeline ordered, curling up with the blanket. The cold slid into Steve's bones again, leaving him aching to reach out for the only woman that could fight off the chill.

"On it." Natasha whipped out her phone again and started typing away.

"So, what are we doing today?" Evangeline asked seriously, swiping the sleep from her eyes. The last few days, Steve hadn't really had a chance to spend much time with Evangeline. After he'd gotten over his own annoyance, they'd been busy shopping and working out, usually keeping him the entire length of the house away from her. Sam thought it was hilarious, but Steve enjoyed the proximity he had to her right now, wanting to do nothing more than to reach out and pull her back into his side.

"Movie marathon. All the Harry Potters." Natasha informed Evangeline, smirking as she turned to walk into the kitchen. It sounded like Bucky and Sam were working on breakfast and coffee, though Steve didn't have a clear view. Evangeline smiled at the thought of a movie marathon, turning to Steve with a soft smile on her lips. He could get used to seeing her smile like that. It warmed up a place in his soul he hadn't known was cold, a place only one other woman had ever touched. That was terrifying, to say the least.

"Have you seen the Harry Potter movies?" She asked. Steve fought a wince when he heard them muttering to one another in Russian, his brain picking up a few insults. He didn't know much Russian, but he was picking it up faster than ever with the two of them there, throwing words around without thought. It was nice that Bucky had someone to talk to in the languages Steve didn't know, but it would have been better if the two assassins got along a little better.

Bucky hadn't really started going in on Natasha until she'd dyed her hair. Something about the change seemed to rattle him, even if he did his best not to show it. Steve couldn't get it out of him what was wrong with Natasha being blonde, but there was obviously something there that was bothering him. Whether it was just the change that he didn't like or if it reminded him of something from his past that he didn't want to remember or talk about.

"I think I've seen one or two." Steve forced his attention back to Evangeline, shrugging a little. He didn't want to disappoint her, but he didn't want to lie either. He knew he'd seen parts of the movies every once and a while. Stark loved them and there was a TV channel that would marathon them every month or so. As much as he wanted to say yes, that he had seen them, it wasn't true. He'd only seen bits and pieces, never sitting in one place long enough to finish one.

"Well, you're in for a treat then!" Evangeline reached out to take his hand in hers and squeezed gently, his warm fingers wrapping around her freezing ones.

The movie didn't matter so long as she stayed close to him.


	24. Harry Potter Marathon

**Hey everyone, sorry I'm late with posting this, some medical stuff came up and I've been busy with trying to get better. This one is a little short, but I'll try and post more next time to make up for it. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, I love them all! I think I missed replying to some this time, but I did read them! (BTW I love the Harry Potter books/movies, but there are some concerning themes in them that I think would bother both the Sergeant and Steve, which is why they're brought up. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and any related memorabilia or mentions)**

"Okay, but is no one going to talk about the fact that Sirius Black is Harry Potter's godfather?!" Steve complained as Natasha rolled her eyes, Eve playing with his fingers while his other hand waved wildly. Three movies in and Steve was already freaking out about all the hidden Easter eggs in the films and books. Not that he'd read the books yet, but she could imagine his shock if he ever actually did. It probably wouldn't take much to get him to read them now.

"It was obvious he didn't murder them. If he had, he wouldn't have gone back to kill the kid after escaping from the most secure prison in their world." The Sergeant argued, actually invested in the film. No one had anticipated that. "It's logistically improbable. Sending someone else in would make more sense if he just wanted the kid dead. Not only that, but so is traveling back in time. If Hermione knew about the time turners, why would it matter if she saw herself in the past? She already knew they existed and would realize it was probably her time traveling and wouldn't affect her mind at all."

They'd had to stop the movie twice to explain the concept of the time turners. The explanation in the movie wasn't enough to satisfy the super soldiers and Natasha wanted to make sure they knew what was going on. It had taken half an hour and a lot of questions to get past that. Or, at least, past it enough to start the movie again.

"I vote we never watch movies with these two again." Sam threw his hand in the air and Eve popped her hand up, grinning when Steve grabbed her wrist and lowered her hand without breaking stride in his argument with his best friend.

"Changing time isn't a good idea anyway. You have no idea what sort of catastrophes would result from saving a life, much less two when they aren't supposed to live." Steve pointed out, catching Eve's other hand deftly when she went to raise that one in solidarity with Sam, who seriously had the right idea. No more watching time traveling movies with the two super soldiers. Not only did they like to argue logic, but they liked to point out that the past isn't all that great anyway. Eve would rather just point out irregularities in the film compared to the books, but they hadn't actually read the novels yet. Telling them the ending and all the things they were missing would just ruin it.

"Let me go." Eve complained, wiggling away from Steve, who immediately dropped her hands at her request. The Sergeant was on the other side of the couch, which wasn't ideal either. They were equally annoying in their arguments and Eve poked at Steve's side, fighting for his attention to stop whatever they were going to complain about next. There was, apparently, always something with these two.

"Buckbeak probably wouldn't make much of a difference as an animal life, but Sirius Black is a person." The Sergeant was just goading Steve on now. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the Sergeant was almost as much of a little shit as Steve.

"It doesn't matter! Buckbeak never died originally because the theory behind this sort of time travel was that they'd already done what they'd set out to do when they thought of it. If they had failed, they would have failed in the current time as well. Therefore, Sirius Black always escaped and Buckbeak never died because they already saved them by going back in the future, meaning they never had anything to worry about to begin with so long as they did everything as they planned." Eve interrupted, throwing both her hands in the air with a groan. Both men stared at her with wide eyes, looking equally guilty for quite literally driving her insane.

"I think it's time for a break. I'll make something for lunch." Natasha jumped up, laughing quietly to herself while Steve just pulled Eve back into his side, ignoring her huff of annoyance while he wrapped an arm around her waist. She wasn't sure why he was so touchy lately. They'd had a good conversation the night before and it had been fun, but she was trying desperately not to get the wrong idea from him. Still, when he was so sweet and warm, she had a hard time remembering that it was entirely possible he didn't like her like that.

Sam was too busy laughing to really have a conversation and Eve was pouting in her spot, arms crossed over her chest while Steve rested his chin on the top of her head, probably grinning like a moron as well. It was obvious that Steve didn't take her mild annoyance very seriously, not that Eve would prefer he did. It was kind of fun to tease him.

"So you're saying that Dumbledore had this all planned out from the very beginning and that Sirius Black was never going to receive the dementor's kiss, but Dumbledore let the kids think he was going to so that they would go back in time and save him, instead of sending aurors or teachers that he could trust in their place?" The Sergeant asked, eyes dark and dangerous. Eve wiggled her toes at him, where they rested in his lap. He'd ignored her when she put her feet on him originally, now he simply glanced down dubiously before looking up at her with a questioning expression.

"The short answer is yes. The long answer is that Dumbledore is the chess master of the good side while Voldemort is the chess master of the bad side. They move players into place and manipulate them to their own gain because they want to win the war." Eve explained, thinking it through carefully to explain it so the Sergeant would understand. He wasn't stupid by any means, but she had to say it correctly to keep him from being too angry about it. Manipulating children wasn't something he took kindly to. It was actually kind of a surprise that Natasha liked Harry Potter when it was all about the manipulation of the children that were in the series. Sure, Harry Potter prevailed in the end, but Dumbledore always meant for him to die. Eve didn't know too much about Natasha's past or her feelings on it, but it had to strike a chord.

The Sergeant didn't say a word for a long time, instead staring at the blank screen seriously. Eve let him, turning to see that Sam was putting in the fourth movie.

"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow. I have some work to do and I think these two need a break to think through what they've just seen." Eve offered, eyeing Sam carefully. He looked back at her, then between the super soldiers, one of whom had his arm tucked around her and was holding on tightly while the other looked two steps from breaking the DVD player in half. She couldn't really blame them for being upset. The Sergeant's life had been a series of manipulations to get him to murder innocent people while simultaneously being lied to and Steve hated bullies more than almost anything. Even if it was just a movie, it was a movie that glorified the manipulation of children when it came down to it. It was a beautiful series of books and movies and Eve loved them, but she could see why it might upset some people.

"I think that's a great idea. We can go work out downstairs after lunch…" Sam offered, trailing off when the Sergeant stood up and walked out without another word, Steve's hold on Eve tightening for a moment. Eve simply leaned back into him, wondering if that actually helped him calm down or if he was doing it subconsciously. Either way, she made no move to pull away, instead sending Sam a significant look. He got up and left, going to either check on the Sergeant or Natasha. Or both, if he'd read the look she'd sent him right.

"Favorite candy?" Eve asked, not at all surprised when Steve flinched a little under her, his arm loosening as soon as he remembered she was there. Whatever he was thinking of, it had him completely out of it and Eve leaned her head back so that she was looking at his face upside down, blinking curiously. A change in topic seemed to be in order.

"So, we're back to the questions, hm?" Steve teased, forcing a fond grin. Eve ignored that he was upset, knowing that he wouldn't want to talk about it yet. Besides, questions like the ones that would get her a straight answer weren't really on their repertoire.

"That depends on if you're going to answer or not." Eve informed him, shrugging a little and tapping her fingers along his forearms. He was hard as a rock, muscular and warm and Eve felt safe with Steve. It was an odd feeling, to not really worry about the possibility of an attack. Technically, she felt safe with Natasha and the Sergeant as well, but it was entirely different with Steve. He was different, as cliché and ridiculous as it sounded.

"Current favorite candy from your time? Chocolate. It's a lot sweeter than I remember nowadays." Steve informed her, relaxing a little as he answered the question. Eve ducked her head and hid a smile, glad to know that the questions would help take his mind off of whatever was bothering him about the movie. She had about a dozen guesses, but no proof to hold them up.

"Chocolate is great, but it doesn't beat Skittles." Eve informed him, shaking her head a little.

"Lunch is ready if you two are." Natasha popped out of the kitchen, Eve turning to stare at the woman. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and Eve frowned when she realized the Sergeant was leaning against the corner by the door, glaring at Natasha's blonde hair. The rest of them had seemed to get used to it right away, but they'd all seen Natasha in various states of disguise in the past. The Sergeant wasn't stable enough to go undercover so he hadn't seen Natasha and how she could change her appearance at the drop of a hat. He'd probably only seen her with her natural hair color, or something close to it. Obviously, the change bothered him on some level.

"What are we having?" Eve pushed off of Steve, who actually let her get on her feet this time. The bandage change had shown that she was healing nicely and Steve had finally given her permission to walk around the house without his glares following her everywhere. It was a start, definitely. Rolling to her feet, Eve carefully moved around the couch, intent on not getting another week of bedrest. If that meant she had to go slowly, so be it.

"Tofu dogs." Eve made a face and Steve groaned, even the Sergeant scowling at the sound of their next meal. Next time, Natasha was definitely not picking lunch.


	25. Impromptu Date pt 1

**Thank you everyone for all the great reviews! I love talking to you guys and hearing what you think! So, today there's two updates because they go together and it seemed cruel to just cut it off, so let me know what you think of the next two chapters!**

 **Also, someone pointed out to me that a Beta might be a good idea for this story, since I've been doing all the checking myself. I've never used a Beta, so I don't really know what to expect from them, but if anyone wants to volunteer, explain it to me, or just point me in the right direction, I would love you guys forever! (Not that I don't anyway.)**

 **Okay, on with the story!**

"Oh my god!" Steve bolted upright and was off the couch and in the kitchen before he could really think about his own movements, the shriek pulling out a visceral response that had him shoving open the door and almost colliding with Evangeline where she stood. Bucky, Nat, and Sam weren't far behind him, appearing out of nowhere just like he had. Steve barely had time to yank Evangeline out of the way of Bucky's knife, which slammed into the back door's frame a second after Steve grabbed her. It wobbled a little with the force he'd used to throw it and barely missing Evangeline's head. "Jesus Christ, what the hell?!"

"Are you alright?" Natasha was already doing a cursory check of the room with a gun in her hand. Steve let Evangeline go so that he could check her over, holding her at arm's length to make sure she wasn't injured. From Bucky or from someone else.

"I'm fine. You guys seriously need to relax a little." Evangeline waved Steve off as she started towards the backdoor, pointedly looking at Bucky's knife. It was a hunting knife he wasn't even supposed to have, not that it really mattered. Steve was more upset that it had almost become embedded in Evangeline than the fact that his best friend, who was also an ex assassin with memory problems, still had one of his HYDRA weapons hidden away while they were supposed to be undercover in Sam's house.

"That doesn't work when you go around screaming." Sam teased, raising an eyebrow at Evangeline, who just rolled her own eyes, pulling the backdoor open to let in a burst of cold air.

Steve was right behind her, confused as she took a step outside, breathing in deeply. He got what had her excited a moment later, when little flurries of snow hit him in the face. Huffing out a surprised breath, Steve took a moment to breathe in the freezing air and calm his rapidly pounding heart, the clouds a deep grey as fluffy white snowflakes piled on the ground and the back porch. A shiver ran up his spine and he took a moment to remember that he wasn't in danger or in a plane headed into some ice, he was standing next to Evangeline, who was barefoot and obviously not dressed for the snow she was so excited about.

"I love the first snow fall. When we were at Sci Ops, Nova, Elise, and I would go out and get hot chocolate the first snowfall of the year." Evangeline explained, glancing at Steve over her shoulder. Snowflakes were sticking in her hair, where Natasha had combed it back into an intricate ponytail. All of the curls were straightened out and Steve missed them when he looked down at her. She didn't even come up to his shoulder standing next to him and he itched to reach out and wrap an arm around her shoulders, wondering if she would push him away if he did.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea. We should do that." Natasha popped out of nowhere with a coat on, staring up at Steve with mischievous eyes. He knew she had a plan that didn't involve just getting hot chocolate, but he couldn't figure out what that plan might be. After all, it wasn't like they could get into much trouble on northern Virginia. Then again, those were probably famous last words.

"Right now?" Evangeline sounded surprised by the suggestion, but Natasha just shrugged with a nod.

"Sounds like fun. There's a coffee shop about a mile from here we could walk to. It's not very cold out yet and I'm sure we'd get back before nightfall." Sam broke in, raising his eyebrows at Steve in challenge. Steve wanted to say no, just because Sam and Natasha looked like they were about to cause trouble, but that wasn't exactly a sound reason not to go along with their plan. Besides, Evangeline was rolling onto her toes with excitement and looking at him like he held the answers to the universe and he liked it. He wanted to see that more often if he could. Which meant letting Natasha out and about as well.

"Bucky, are you going to come too?" Steve turned to eye his best friend, who was still hiding inside the house. The cold wasn't anything that made either of them comfortable, but Bucky seemed to hate it more than Steve most days. He'd been frozen for decades, just like Steve, but Russian winters were nothing to laugh at and Bucky hadn't even come out to see the snow yet.

"I'll stay here." Bucky shook his head, his long hair pulled back into a half assed ponytail. Pieces fell in his eyes when he shook his head and Steve frowned a little, wondering if it was alright to leave his friend there when it was obvious that the snow was bothering him. Flashbacks were rare now, but they happened and Steve wasn't sure he wanted to risk it.

"Awesome. Come on, Eve." Natasha grabbed Evangeline's hand before Steve could stop her, starting to drag the smaller woman into the house. Steve glanced back outside, running a hand over his hair as he thought hard.

Someone had to stay at the house anyway if they didn't want to do a floor to ceiling sweep when they came back and it wasn't like Bucky wasn't volunteering. He'd lived alone in the Tower for a few months before the Tower had gotten destroyed again and he was capable of taking care of any threat. If something happened, Bucky'd warn them first. Still, leaving him alone wasn't ideal, especially when the rest of them were going out for something as mundane as hot chocolate.

"He'll be fine. You can't just live your life around his whims. Besides, if you don't make a move on Eve, I might. She's pretty cute and I bet she'd dig a guy who can fly." Sam dodged Steve's halfhearted punch, grinning as he backed into the kitchen. Steve just flipped him off, following him back inside now that he knew that Sam wasn't going to let him get out of it. It sent a bolt of discomfort through him to think of Evangeline with Sam, even more than if Bucky was the one who had a crush on her. Steve decided not to think too deeply on that logic.

It only took about ten minutes for Evangeline and Natasha to make it back downstairs, Natasha dressed up in an outfit that would do the runways of Paris proud. She was in a pair of painted on skinny jeans, a wraparound sweater in pale grey that cut so low that she was wearing another shirt on underneath, and a pair of boots that tied up to her knees. Her blonde hair was curled and yanked back into a tight ponytail and she'd brushed on makeup, putting in contacts that changed her eyes from green to blue. All in all, Natasha had even changed her usual martial artist walk to something of a confident strut and she was barely recognizable, even to him.

Evangeline came down after her, dressed just as fashionably as Natasha. A pair of dark wash skinny jeans that were tucked into winter boots of a warm brown, she had on a gold sweater that made her eyes practically sparkle, the bottom of the shirt a tulle fabric in two different shades, one a light tan and the other a cream. The sleeves were a little too long, but the rest fit like a glove, wrapped around her comfortably. Her hair was yanked back into a ponytail with three different braids going back, the rest of the mass straightened to fall past her waist. It was odd, to see her with her hair straightened. Steve still wasn't used to it and wished that the curls were back in place.

"We're almost ready. Just have to grab coats and we can go." Natasha informed Steve, Sam coming up from behind to grab his own coat. Steve grabbed his leather jacket from the rack just because he knew that it would help him fit in. His serum kept him warmer than most people, but being outside in the cold without a coat stood out and he couldn't afford to attract attention at the moment. Natasha threw another leather jacket at Evangeline's head and pulled on her own fluffy pink coat, which was completely out of character and almost funny to see.

"Shut up, Rogers." Natasha pointed at him menacingly when his lips started to curl into a smile and Steve shook his head, biting back a laugh. If Natasha ever wanted to be a trophy wife, she definitely had the sense of style for it. "Come on, Wilson, you're mine."

Natasha hooked an arm through Sam's and practically dragged him out the door. Evangeline and Steve watched them go for a moment and he was pretty sure she was just as out of the loop as he was, but the frown on her plump lips.

"Wait, what?" Evangeline asked, racing out of the house after them. Steve fought off the urge to remind her to be careful on her feet, instead glancing back inside to see Bucky standing at the entrance to the kitchen, watching them. With a nod of goodbye, Steve left, pulling the door closed behind him and hoping like hell that Bucky would actually engage the locks. If he was looking for a fight, he could go join a boxing gym or something, not put himself in danger just for the thrill.

"We're on dates. You get Rogers. I get Wilson. Now, don't look so suspicious." Natasha waved Evangeline off and Steve jogged to catch up, just in time to see Evangeline's awe struck expression before she hid it behind a hard blink.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, just to be sure he hadn't hallucinated that one of his best friends just set him up on a false date with the dame he was carrying a torch for. Because that would get Natasha one hell of a lecture, later. When Evangeline didn't look just as surprised as he felt. Because he wasn't going to fuck up a date with her, not even if it was one that Natasha had meticulously set up so that it would take them both off guard.

"Apparently, Natasha's brilliant plan is that we go in as couples. You're stuck with me." Evangeline smiled up at him hesitantly and Steve raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sam and Natasha's steadily disappearing forms before sticking out his arm for her to take in true forties' fashion.

"Well, then we'll have to prove to her that we can go undercover too." Steve offered with a slow grin. Evangeline's face lit up and she slipped her hand into the crease of his elbow, letting him lead her away from the house and towards the coffee shop they were supposed to be going to. Steve wasn't exactly sure where the place was, but he made sure to keep Natasha and Sam in sight as he walked with Evangeline, cutting his own strides in half so she could keep up. Having her on his arm had him standing up a little straighter, keeping an eye out for any danger while simultaneously wanting to impress her. Dates weren't something he went on often, especially not after Sharon, and he wished he knew more about dating in the twenty first century. Having the opportunity to impress Evangeline was a rare thing and he was desperate to do so in the limited amount of time he had, even if it meant walking through the cold and the snow to accomplish it.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a while and Steve kept an eye on Evangeline, who didn't seem to mind the silence. In fact, she was more than rapt with the snow, watching the flakes fall and hit the street with avid fascination.

"Is that where we're going?" Evangeline pointed up ahead and Steve glanced up to see that Natasha and Sam were walking into a small coffee shop on the corner of the street ahead of them, the street lights flickering on as the clouds got darker. Warm lighting glowed out of the front windows and it did look like a good place to go and get something to drink. Sam had picked a good spot for their impromptu double date.

"Must be." Steve offered.

"Come on!" Evangeline tugged on his arm impatiently and Steve laughed, letting her drag him faster towards the warmth. Her nose was turning pink and her cheeks were flushed, puffs of white air coming out with her breath. Pressed close to his side, he could tell she was probably cold, but she hadn't complained once.

Pushing into the warmth of the coffee shop, Steve kept his hold on her, not ready to let her go.


	26. Impromptu Date pt 2

**Here's the second part of the impromptu date! Now we get to see it a little more from Eve's view. These two… They're so oblivious and I love them. Let me know what you think! If you're interested in Beta-ing (is that a word?) don't forget to let me know!**

"You have got to be kidding me." Eve laughed as she leaned into Steve's side. Turned out, pretending to be his girlfriend was as easy as breathing. Natasha and Sam were perched across from them at the corner booth and their drinks were still set before them, steam billowing from the tops. Eve's hands were wrapped around her cup and Steve had a casual arm over her shoulders, keeping her pulled into his side snugly. His warmth poured into her and it was like the real thing, something that could become dangerously addictive if she let it.

"I would never make fun of you." Sam flirted, grinning at her. Eve just shook her head, glancing outside to see that the sky was darkening dangerously. They'd need to get home before the real storm hit. It was only a few days until Halloween and it had been a late first snow. Cobwebs and pumpkins were set up all over the coffee shop Sam had led them to and the barista was already in costume, though she didn't look the least bit happy to be there. Eve didn't really blame her when her costume involved about ten pounds of makeup, but the makeup was pretty exemplary. Almost on par with Natasha's.

"Come on, lover boy, leave her alone." Natasha elbowed Sam lightly with a flirtatious smile, perfecting the adoring girlfriend without breaking a sweat. It was obvious that Sam was enjoying the act too, from the grin on his lips and the twinkle in his dark eyes.

"What? My best friend's girl is doubting my honesty!" Sam pointed at Eve and Eve rolled her eyes fondly. Sam was actually pretty fun, when he wasn't trying to get inside her head. He was just as easygoing as Steve and Bucky were when they were in good moods and he knew when to let things go, which was something the rest of them could learn from. It was probably part of his training with the VA, but it was kind of nice, not to have someone pushing for information all the time. Being with Natasha, Sam, Bucky, and Steve was definitely a step up from most SHIELD agents.

"I didn't say that! I just asked if you were serious." Eve pointed out, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. Steve shook his head and looked around the shop, obviously eyeing the danger spots. Natasha was doing the same, though Steve tended to wear the weariness of an ex-soldier better than the spy when they were out and about. Most people seemed to avoid looking at them all directly, instead focusing on something behind them. It was like they could tell that they were all military grade and that at least half the people at their table could kill them in a few seconds. That was probably for the best considering Steve hadn't brought his glasses with for a disguise. Honestly, Eve was shocked no one recognized him. No regular person had such a chiseled jawline.

"Practically questioning my honor." Sam shot back.

"I would never!" Eve pressed a hand into her chest in faux surprise, breaking into laughter a moment later. Natasha joined her, tossing her blonde ponytail over her shoulder with a professional flick of the wrist.

"We better get going soon. We're attracting too much attention. Someone's going to recognize us." Natasha muttered as she took a drink of her hot chocolate. Eve glanced up under her lashes, eyeing various exits. The front was the best way to go, but there was a side door and a door that led into the back, probably a stock room with a different exit. There were only a few other people in the shop and it was obvious that they were all aware of the four people at the table in the back corner. Whether because Steve and Sam kept checking exits or because they were openly teasing one another, it didn't matter. Too much attention was never a good thing and Eve felt herself deflate just a little at the thought of leaving. It had honestly been the best date she'd ever been on, even if Natasha had set it up for her.

"Front door will be a fine exit. They're curious, but not concerned yet." Eve informed them, glancing up at Steve to see if he agreed with the plan. If he broke out a window to get out of the building, she was going to stab him with a piece of glass. He was the one who always had shitty ideas, she wouldn't be surprised if he did something equally ridiculous here. Then again, he'd been fairly tame since she'd met him. Not too many opportunities to get into fights while they were hiding out in Sam's house, thank god.

"Let's get going. We can walk back slowly so you can enjoy the little ice crystals falling from the sky." Sam nudged Eve with a foot and she stuck her tongue out at him like a grown ass adult before allowing Steve to help her up. He was attentive to the extreme the entire time, paying for her drink and everything. If it had been a real date, she'd have given him a ten out of ten. Then again, he still received a ten out of ten for letting her play up Natasha's idea of a cover when it wasn't strictly necessary.

Tucking her hand into Steve's elbow again, Eve left her now-empty cup on the table and let Steve lead her out, Sam and Natasha following them closely. Steve hadn't brought his shield, but he probably wouldn't need it if it came down to a fight. She'd seen him make a shield out of almost anything. Trash can lids, tables, doors. It didn't matter what the material as long as he could block a direct hit with it. Besides, there was a tracking beacon in the necklace she'd donned for the trip and, if activated, it would send a beacon to Maria. Maria would either get the entire Maddox household involved or she'd call in the Sergeant. Nova's family was scary, but the Sergeant wouldn't take kindly to someone attacking his best friend either.

They got out of the shop safely, just as Eve knew they would. Humans were curious, but they rarely got up the nerve to actually do something about that curiosity. Besides, Steve was the only one vaguely recognizable between them all and, without the suit, it was hard to tell if he was a super soldier or just a lookalike. At least, objectively it was hard. Eve was pretty sure she could spot him from a mile away wearing those silly glasses if she had to.

"We should try and get Natasha to build a snowman." Eve whispered to Steve, wondering if it would work. He grinned, glancing down at her with obvious good humor.

"I don't think Natasha knows how to just go outside and play in the snow. It might turn into a full on snowball fight." Steve warned.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Maybe I'll see if the Sergeant would be on my team. Think we could take her?" Eve asked, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. She tucked her other hand into his elbow too, hiding her fingers from the biting cold, and Steve covered her fingertips up with his own warm palm, the movement almost deft as he kept walking, eyeing the accumulating snow like he was thinking seriously about the answer.

"Do I get to be on your team?" He asked after a moment of contemplation, raising an eyebrow down at her.

"That depends on if you're any good. The Sergeant is a world class sniper, so I need him. Natasha is an assassin and a spy as well, so I won't do well without a good team. If I could get you and the Sergeant against Natasha and Sam…" Eve trailed off, already planning out the entire fight in her mind as she thought through her options. Natasha and Sam would be formidable opponents. Sam wasn't a sniper or anything, but he was ridiculously competitive and Eve knew that he wouldn't give up without a fight. Eve wasn't an agent and wasn't trained to be stealthy, so she'd be the liability. Maybe she'd just pit the super soldiers against Natasha and Sam to see what happened. Probably a few broken windows and bloody noses. She couldn't imagine it ending well if they didn't have a normal person in the game. Then again, was Eve considered normal anymore?

"I'm sure I could do you proud." Steve offered as Natasha and Sam caught up.

"You know, next time we do this, we're bringing hats and gloves." Sam complained, shivering a little in the cold. Natasha had on fur lined gloves and a hat pulled down over her ears, her lips pursed as she eyed the man she'd decided would be her date. Natasha was notorious for being ready for anything and Sam, obviously, hadn't thought that far ahead. Honestly, Eve hadn't really either, but Steve was nice and warm and he was staying close, so he blocked most of the wind for her.

"I don't know why you thought it would be warm. It's getting dark and it's snowing." Natasha pointed out, her walk loose and comfortable.

"I thought it would be a little chilly, not freezing. Besides, Halloween isn't even here yet." Sam complained up at the sky. Eve shook her head as they got to the front walk at Sam's house, the crisp air in her lungs almost comforting. It was nice, to go through with the tradition even without Nova and Elise hanging round. Elise was already at the Maddox compound, hidden away with the rest of the family until they figured out how much HYDRA knew. If anyone could figure out who had attacked the Tower, it was Nova.

Still, Eve figured she'd give the girls a call later, make sure they were doing alright. The last phone call had ended with Eve hanging up on the hollering of Nova's middle brother, Jas. He was notoriously a jackass and had yelled at her for not coming back to the stronghold like the rest of them. After a quick update to Nova, Eve had let it go, telling Elise to be good and to punch Jas for her. Between the two of them, Elise had the best right hook.

"You coming inside?" Steve was paused with her on the porch, Natasha and Sam already inside the house and shaking off their coats. Eve stared out at the darkening sky for a moment, eyeing the snow that was falling and wondering if her sister and her best friend were looking up at the same sky. There was no way that Nova and Elise weren't doing the same. Even if Nova wasn't quite as anal about the entire thing as Eve was, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity for hot chocolate. Or an opportunity to let Elise have a normal moment in their hectic lives.

"Yeah. Just thinking about my sister." Eve let Steve pull her into the house, gently stepping out of her boots to make sure not to spread snow over the carpets.

"Elise, right?" Steve was taking off his coat and glanced at her curiously.

"Yeah. Nova took her with her when she left town. Nova's family is pretty big and they have a place in upstate Maine that's basically a SHIELD stronghold. It was on the manifest as a safe house at one point, before her grandparents took it off. Elise will be safe there, but I kind of miss her." Eve shrugged a little, taking her jacket off and hanging it up on the hook so that it was out of the way. Steve gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side, surprising her by pressing his lips into the top of her head for a moment.

"I'm sure she misses you too. You'll see her again soon." Steve promised, pulling away to smile softly down at her. Eve smiled back up at him, suddenly thankful that it was Steve Rogers she'd been working with for so long.

"Thanks. For all of this."

"My pleasure."


	27. The Shield VS The Wall

**Big thank you to my new beta, lunar mischief, for looking over this chapter and helping me correct everything! You're awesome!**

 **Here's some action and a little cute Eve and Steve time. Thank you to all those who review and follow and favorite! Let me know what you all think!**

Eve pushed her hair out of her face and scrambled into the corner, breathing deeply as she forced back the panic that accompanied her nightmares. Pressing a hand into her mouth to muffle the sobs, she brushed tears out of her eyes and stared into the darkness, glad to see that Natasha was still asleep. She'd gotten used to sleeping through Eve's outbursts and Eve was incredibly thankful for that. Sucking in another deep breath, she paused, listening hard.

There it was again.

The sound of sheets rustling, of someone else breathing in a distinctly uncomfortable pattern. Eve glanced sideways to see that Natasha was still sleeping, curled up with a hand under her pillow, right where her knife was. Eve had mentioned being a little nervous about it at one point, hence the sheath it was housed in, but the knife was still there, within easy reach. She had a feeling that, if it wasn't a knife, it would have been a gun. And a gun seemed more dangerous in the long run.

Slowly, Eve tiptoed out of the room on soft feet, making sure her steps were fairly silent. She wasn't as adept at silence as someone like the Sergeant, but she'd managed to sneak up on Nova and Maria at different points in time and it was a nice change to be sliding down the stairs without having to worry about waking someone up. It was obvious someone was downstairs already from the light noises coming from the kitchen, but the noise Eve was looking for was coming from the bedroom at the end of the stairs to the attic. Steve's room.

Pressing a hand into the door, Eve paused. She wasn't sure how welcome she would be if Steve really was having some sort of nightmare or trouble sleeping. They'd met up on the couch a few times in the middle of the night and he'd helped calm her down then, but Eve hadn't actually tried to go into his room before. Back in his time, this would be highly unorthodox and probably inappropriate, but when a pained groan filled the air, Eve quickly turned the knob, slipping into the room without a second thought, her eyes easily adjusting to the darkness as she glanced around the room curiously.

Steve was thrashing on the bed, his shield leaning against the bedside table and a clock blinking out steady numbers. It was almost three thirty in the morning. Eve had slept longer than usual and it was kind of nice to know that, even as she took a hesitant step into the room. Some people were violent with night terrors. Eve had hurt Nova once and it wasn't something she was likely to forget, either. If Steve tried to hurt her, he would succeed. She didn't want to be afraid of him, but it was knowledge that was important and she wasn't in the habit of ignoring relevant data when it came to missions or her life.

"Steve?" Eve called out gently as she took another step into the room. It was incredibly cold in his room and a glance at the window showed that it was cracked open. Probably to let in some fresh air over the last few nights (when it wasn't freezing outside). He'd obviously forgotten to close it and Eve stepped further inside as she realized the cold could be what was giving him the nightmare. He'd said he had nightmares about the ice and that the cold could trigger it. "Steve? Wake up."

He bolted upright in one smooth motion that was almost too fast for Eve to react to. His arm snapped out and she barely managed to throw herself into a somersault in time, just avoiding the whistling projectile. His shield slammed into the wall beside the door and Eve came up into a crouch only a few feet away, her wide eyes snapping to Steve where he was now standing, on his feet, gasping for air.

"Evangeline?" he managed to gasp out, still standing in the middle of the floor.

"Are you alright?" Eve forced herself to sound calm, pushing to her feet when she was sure that he wasn't going to try and kill her again, her hand going behind her back to find the light switch. She had it on right as the door burst open and Bucky appeared by her side, a gun up and trained on Steve, which was kind of surprising until he seemed to realize that Steve was the one he was pointing his weapon at.

"What happened?" Bucky asked seriously, his deep voice resonating with Steve, who shook his head. Light was flooding the room and Eve could see that he was pouring sweat, hair sticking up in every direction and eyes finding the shield he'd tried to lop her head off with.

"What the hell, Rogers?" Natasha glanced in, quirking an eyebrow at the shield. Eve noticed her do a quick once over of her own body before checking on Steve, obviously concerned that he'd managed to hit her. If he had hit her, Eve wouldn't have a head anymore. She wasn't naïve and Steve's shield traveled far too fast to leave her with whatever limb he was trying to cut off. The thing was made with ultimate precision, she was just lucky that she'd anticipated his first move upon waking up or it could have gone much worse.

"Everything's fine. Go to bed," Eve ordered, her communication specialist's voice coming out. Bucky slid his gun back into the band of his sweatpants and slowly started slinking out of the room towards the stairs. He was obviously the one who was awake when Eve had woken up. Natasha yawned and stretched out, sending Steve a look Eve couldn't read before disappearing, closing the door just as Eve noticed Sam groaning in the background, probably not too happy that Steve had ruined a wall when he'd thrown his shield. It definitely wasn't the first time that had happened, but Eve could see the annoyance in it.

"Are you alright?" Steve was right there as soon as the door closed, his hands finding Eve's shoulders as he held her gently, eyes running from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

"Am I alright? Are you? You almost took my head off with that thing." Eve pushed his hands away and gently guided him back to the bed he'd abandoned, sitting him down so that she could check his forehead and press her fingers into his cheeks. Steve let her, probably because he was too polite to try and tell her to leave, but Eve would take what she could get.

"I know. That's why I'm worried." Steve caught her hands as she ran her fingers along his hairline. He was warmer than almost anyone she'd ever come in contact with, but she couldn't tell if it was fever warm or serum warm. She had nothing to compare him to accept the Sergeant and she wasn't about to walk up to him and press her hand into his forehead, no matter how much she liked him. He might have been nice to her before, but she had a feeling he wouldn't take too kindly to Eve shoving her hands in his face.

"You missed. And, besides, I know you well enough to have anticipated that reaction. Were you having a nightmare? We should close the window." Eve fought the fluttering feeling in her chest, wanting to reach out and comfort him, but unable to figure out _how_. Comforting people was kind of a mystery she hadn't yet solved. And Steve was pretty important to not only her, but America in general. If she screwed up comforting him, a lot of people could be upset.

Steve let her pull away and go to close the window behind his bed, though she could feel his attention following her around the room. She came back as soon as it was closed, the light still on as she moved around, the cold biting at her toes. She had a wrap still on her right foot, but her left one was free now and she hadn't bothered to put on socks when she got out of bed. In fact, she was dressed in embarrassingly little, something she'd have to worry about when Steve looked less like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Do you… Do you mind staying in here for a while?" Steve slowly asked, blue eyes full of an emotion that she couldn't name. Eve froze for a moment, standing in front of him and trying desperately to read his face.

"I… No, I don't mind. Do you want me to turn the lights off?" Eve asked, not too surprised when he nodded slightly, eyes still unreadable. She went back and flicked off the light, blindly making her way back to him and keeping her mouth shut about the fact that his shield was still stuck in the wall near the door. She had a feeling mentioning that would ruin the fragile peace he'd found at the moment and she didn't want to send him into a panic attack or anything.

Steve moved as soon as she was close, pulling himself up into the bed and leaving room for her, seated near the headboard. Eve frowned for a moment, forcing herself not to hesitate too long. Getting in bed with him seemed like a really large step, but there wasn't an inherent fear like with most men. After HYDRA… Well, men weren't really something she was around a lot. Nova kept her sectioned off and Maria threatened anyone who tried to get too close. Physical contact wasn't a big deal as long as it was something she was aware was coming. Climbing into a bed with someone who could easily overpower her, though…

Eve swallowed hard as she crawled up to sit next to him, forcing back her own discomfort. Steve was the last person in the world she would expect to hurt her, especially in a bedroom setting.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eve asked softly, leaning her head back against the headboard and glancing sideways at Steve. She couldn't see him very well, but she could tell he was seated much like her, back pressed against the headboard and feet pressed into the soft mattress, his hands dangling from his elbows, where they were planted on his knees. His head was hung slightly and he looked so upset that Eve looked away for a moment, tears stinging her eyes.

"It was another nightmare about the ice," Steve informed her. Eve frowned a little, remembering his earlier introduction to that piece of his past. It wasn't something she liked to think on. They'd both had a moment in their lives that had left them waiting to die and she didn't like to think about her own, so why would he want to talk about his? But it tore at her heart a little to know that he was still struggling through the ice, even when it was a distant memory he'd manage to free himself from years ago. "I don't know how to get them to stop. Sometimes, it's just the plane and Peggy's voice calling my name. Other times, Bucky's there. Natasha and the team too. It depends on the night."

Peggy Carter, the one woman that Steve had loved more than anyone. Eve knew the stories. Hell, she'd known the woman. And it wasn't a mystery why Steve had been in love with her. She was a hell of a woman and one of the founders of SHIELD. The stories about her and Captain America and his Howling Commandos were still whispered in the halls of any SHIELD facility. Peggy had been a leader of SHIELD almost her entire life. Eve glanced down at the soft bedspread of Steve's bed, wondering what the woman would do if she were in Eve's spot. Probably say all the right things. That was something Peggy had been good at.

"And tonight?" Eve asked softly, pushing off her own memories of the woman. Peggy had been one of the most influential women in history and Eve wasn't about to measure up any day soon. But she could try and help Steve.

"Bucky was there. He was on HYDRA's side. And they had you, Nat, and Sam," Steve informed her. Eve's head came up, finding Steve's gaze in the darkness. He was watching her carefully, gauging her reaction, but Eve was just surprised he was that upset about her being captured by the same people who had gotten him trapped in the ice.

"Bucky is on your side. No matter which side that is. And I doubt that Sam and Natasha would get captured." Eve reasoned her way out of his dream, knowing that it was true. Bucky would follow Steve wherever he led him. Maybe even to HYDRA. And Sam was very clever, so he wouldn't get caught. Natasha would only get captured if she wanted to, and even then she'd probably escape with a hair pin and a bottle of nail polish. That was the kind of person Natasha was.

"You wouldn't be able to get away," Steve reminded her, his voice deep and soft, as if that was the part that was torturing him.

"I got out once. And I've gotten you out of enough messes. Don't you have any faith in me?" Eve teased gently, smiling up at him hesitantly. Steve let a small smile peek at her before he was looking at his hands, picking at his nails.

"If they find us, HYDRA won't stop until we're dead," Steve informed her. Eve tensed a little, but forced herself not to react badly. It was shock value, that was all. He wanted her to concede his point and she couldn't do that. Talking him out of the funk he was in after his nightmare would be impossible if she let him upset her.

"Then we won't let them find us. HYDRA isn't the only evil in the world and they aren't even the only people who want us dead. Well, at least, you guys dead. I'm in the clear with most agencies after my judicial review, but you guys have a lot of enemies. You can't let that stop you from living your life," Eve reminded him. HYDRA was one in a million organizations that would pay good money to have Captain America's head on a platter. Honestly, those same organizations would probably be happy with her head on a platter too, but they didn't know about her. The judicial review had cleared her name for most agencies and the rest of them were unaware she existed in an official sense. All they had was a codename and Seraphim happened to sound a hell of a lot more mysterious than Evangeline.

"How do you suggest I go about living my life when we're in hiding?" Steve asked, a self-deprecating laugh emanating from him. Eve shook her head, leaning over so that she was leaning into his side. She ignored the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt and she was dressed in only a pair of shorts and a tank top, thinking through her answer quickly. If she took too long, he'd know that she was thinking her answers out more carefully than he originally guessed.

"Living isn't about being globetrotting or anything. You don't have to save the world every day. Sometimes, living just means getting up in the morning and making it through the day." Eve shrugged a little, leaning her head against his shoulder. Steve relaxed a little against her, seeming to listen to her voice. "Not everything is about being a superhero. You're still Steve Rogers under all that spandex."

"The spandex seems to be all people see anymore."

"Well, maybe they aren't looking deep enough. Besides, I like you with and without the spandex, if that makes you feel any better." Eve tilted her head back to smile up at him, glad to see that he was grinning too, even with his head ducked away from her and darkness tinging his cheeks. If they were anywhere else, she would tease him relentlessly about the blush. As it was, she let it go this time.

"It actually does. Just a little," Steve informed her, leaning into her just slightly. Eve let out a small sigh and sat with him in silence for a little while, content just to let him calm down, if only a little.


	28. Hostage or Welcome Guest

**Okay, so, hey everyone! Here's the next update, I hope you like it. We get a little teasing from Natasha and waking up with Steve! Let me know what you think. I love reviews and thank you to everyone that reads, favorites, and reviews, I love you all. And thank you to my wonderful beta, lunar mischief, for fixing my mistakes! Anyone have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them. (And yes, more action coming soon.)**

Eve woke up to the sound of a shower running, which wasn't all that common, actually. Usually, she was awake before Natasha. Downstairs or even just sitting near the window, which she'd gotten warned not to do about a dozen times. This time, though, she woke up in a cocoon of warmth, her eyes taking in the room with new light. It definitely wasn't the room she was sharing with Natasha. The most noticeable difference at the moment was the shield sticking out of the wall by the door, almost halfway embedded.

The metal shimmered in the lighting of the room, with most of the light coming from the window that was on the other side of the bed. Eve was positioned basically in the middle of a bundle of blankets, one thrown over her legs as an afterthought. Usually, she woke up with about a dozen blankets on top of her, always freezing in the night, but she was pleasantly warm this morning as she puzzled out what had happened the night before after she'd sat down with Steve to help calm him from his nightmare.

They'd talked a bit and that was about it. Then they'd sat in silence. Eve figured she had fallen asleep first, wondering if he'd managed to get any sleep after she'd passed out. It had been a hectic night, waking up from her own nightmare and then finding Steve half out of his mind with fear. It was enough to cause anyone to be tired and she wasn't all that surprised that she'd fallen asleep in his room. The surprise was that he hadn't taken her back to the room she was supposed to be in. Steve was usually the type that would carry her back to bed if she fell asleep in his vicinity. The nightmare must have freaked him out more than she'd anticipated.

The shower turned off and Eve contemplated leaving just to see what Steve would do. It would probably be pretty funny, but she wanted to make sure he was alright. Nightmares weren't fun and Eve had more than her fair share to compare to.

It took him less than five minutes to walk into the room from the bathroom he was sharing with Sam, towel drying his hair without a shirt on. In the daylight, he looked even better. All golden skin and rippling muscle, he looked honestly surprised to see her awake. It was kind of disappointing that he hadn't walked in half-dressed on purpose, but Eve pushed the thought away.

"You're awake. Did you sleep well?" Steve sounded slightly formal as he walked in and over to the dresser that was across from the foot of the bed, pulling out a shirt. Eve watched him tug it on without trying to be weird about it, pushing her mess of hair out of her eyes so she could observe him better.

"Yeah. Did you get any sleep?" Eve countered, eyeing his face. His blue eyes slid to hers for a moment before he looked away, nodding slightly.

"Enough. More than usual," was his only answer. More than usual but probably not as much as he should. Eve pursed her lips and wrinkled up her nose, thinking quickly. Steve had pulled on a workout shirt, a grey Under Armor that hugged every muscle on him. It was truly a work of art and Eve bit her tongue to keep from making any embarrassing noises. "Are you going to come downstairs?"

"Sure!" It was the first time she'd been invited down into the workout room and she definitely wasn't passing that up. Besides, Natasha claimed there was a ten foot ceiling and five foot balance beams. No way in hell was she saying no to perching on one of those.

"You're going to take it easy if you work out. Dr. Cho said that you needed at least two weeks without field work," Steve reminded, pointing at her with narrowed eyes. Eve was already scrambling out of his bed, raising her own eyebrows in response as she practically tumbled off.

"Technically, I haven't been cleared for field work since New York, so that's not really a concern. Besides, I could use some exercise," Eve informed him, starting towards the door. Steve groaned in the background, obviously not finding her reminders as amusing as she did. It was true, she had some field clearance at one point. It was just that she'd practically demolished three buildings during New York to keep the aliens from escaping the evacuation zone. Then she'd almost gotten killed and Maria had taken away her clearance, claiming she wasn't meant to be in the field in the first place. It was all a huge misunderstanding, though Eve preferred to work on the sidelines anyway. It was just kind of annoying that people kept throwing her lack of field clearance in her face when they wanted to keep her out of the way.

"You need rest. For two weeks. It's only been a little over one," Steve called after her as Eve started up the stairs, waving a hand behind her without really caring what Steve thought. If she could just stretch out, it would be nice. Being flexible wasn't much good if she wasn't using it and her balance would suffer if she didn't practice.

"So, you're alive," Natasha observed as Eve got to their room, the woman in question already dressed in a pair of tight workout leggings and a racerback tank top. Eve rolled her eyes, starting towards the dresser to find her own workout clothes. Technically, all the clothes in the room were shared between her and Natasha, but there were plenty of pairs of workout clothes for her to wear. Natasha never skimped on clothing and they had a bunch of borrowed clothes she could go through as well if she felt the need.

"You thought I wouldn't be?" Eve asked seriously as Natasha closed the door, watching her pull out another racerback, this one in a light blue, with a pair of black yoga pants.

"I wasn't sure. Steve doesn't usually attack people when they walk into his room. Or hold them hostage overnight. If this is going to be a new thing, I want to be sure you're using protection." Eve choked on air, Natasha grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

"What?! We're not...!" Eve cut herself off at the horrific squeal that was coming from her mouth, taking a deep breath to control the shock that was running through her. Counting backwards from ten (that was what Nova did when she needed a break), Eve sucked in a deep breath, levelling her best 'agent stare' at Natasha. "We're not having sex. Seriously, like you wouldn't be one of the first to hear if we were. Besides, it's not like that. He doesn't like me like that. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Well, considering you've stopped arguing that _you_ don't like him like that, I'll consider this a win. And I wouldn't sell yourself short. Steve isn't exactly the most forward person in the world. You two would make a cute couple. And cute babies." Natasha was trying to kill her. That was the only explanation. "I demand to be an aunt. In fact, I want to be the first godmother. I'll even share with Barnes if I have to. But not Barton. Barton has to get his own kid."

"Natasha!" Eve hissed, surprised when Natasha fell onto the bed laughing, letting herself go for the first time since Eve had met her. She'd seen Natasha laugh before, but not like this. Her entire face lit up with glee and her emerald eyes started to water as she cackled, obviously enjoying Eve's mini-heart attack.

"Боже мой*, you should have seen your face!" Natasha laughed, throwing out Russian like Eve spoke it. She spoke a few languages, but Russian wasn't one of them.

"I hate you," Eve complained lightly, changing into her workout clothes. Natasha got up when she did, rolling to her feet easily. Eve wasn't the only one who still had evidence of their fight at the Tower on her skin. Natasha still had a gash near her hairline and she had a bandage that was wrapped around her upper arm, usually covered by the sweaters she'd been wearing. They weren't super humans like the Sergeant and Steve; their wounds were taking a little longer to heal, and Eve felt a little more comfortable knowing that Natasha was still healing as well.

"You don't. But you can pretend you do if it makes you feel better. I was serious about being a godmother, though," Natasha informed her. The door pushed open a moment later and the Sergeant stuck his head in. Eve was just pulling her tank top down and she was happy he hadn't walked in while she was changing. For SHIELD and HYDRA agents, it probably wasn't embarrassing, but Eve wasn't in the habit of changing in front of people very often. Half because of her scars and half because she was strictly office work, so changing hadn't really been part of her missions.

"Ready?" The Sergeant raised an eyebrow at them and Eve turned to follow them downstairs, glancing sideways at her sweatshirt before deciding to leave it where it was. Working out what to wear in the gym was harder than trying to figure out what to wear in summer. People would wonder if she wore long sleeves during summer, but they wouldn't ask as readily as if she was working out in a SHIELD gym with sweatpants and sweatshirts on. Still, the people staying in Sam's house knew about her past and about the general story of the scars she bore. More importantly, they wouldn't ask if she didn't feel like telling.

"Let's get going." Eve shooed the Sergeant down the stairs and he rolled his eyes at her, making sure she saw the movement as he jogged down. Eve followed quickly after him, Natasha bringing up the rear as they started down to the basement, where Sam was supposed to have an entire gymnasium set up. Eve had yet to actually see the gym since Steve had her on house arrest most of their time in Sam's house, but Natasha had seemed thoroughly impressed.

It definitely didn't disappoint.

 ***** **Боже мой** **: Oh my god (bo-je moi)**


	29. Balance

**Here's another update! Thanks to everyone who is favoriting, following, reviewing! I've been terrible at responding to reviews the last few updates, so I'm really sorry, but I do answer questions whenever you ask, so ask away! I'm glad everyone's enjoying and more will be up in a few days!**

Steve stared as Evangeline stretched out on the balance beam, seeming as comfortable on the small length of wood as she was on solid ground. Possibly even more comfortable. She was on her phone at the moment, talking animatedly to her sister, who had called while Sam and Natasha had been sparring. They weren't anywhere near evenly matched, but Natasha had humored Sam and given him a little leeway without taking him down right away. It had been an interesting fight, but Steve wasn't really in his right mind at the moment.

His thoughts were currently centered around the woman balanced about five feet off the ground, laying on her back with her feet kicked absently towards the ceiling, her cell phone tucked against her ear as she spoke, golden eyes tracing patterns on the ceiling. She was beautiful, but that wasn't what had surprised him.

It was the first time he'd seen her without a sweatshirt or sleeves covering her arms and her back. The tank top she was wearing left most of her back open and he could easily see the scars that lined her shoulders and her upper back, deep gouge wounds that made raised marks along her shoulder blades. Steve had seen similar scars on Bucky's back and on other prisoners of war, but it was horrifying to witness all the same. Bucky had been gone over seventy years- Steve could write those methods off as something that had been done years ago when he saw them, but he couldn't reason Evangeline's scars away. Hers were less meticulous and more vulgar, pointing to straight violence instead of careful precision. She hadn't been hurt once upon a time, she'd been hurt recently and it boggled his mind that she was still so happy when she'd been through so much.

"If you keep staring, she'll notice." Steve kept his flinch to a minimum when Sam appeared at his side, messing with the wraps on his hands. Steve had been 're-wrapping' his hands for about ten minutes, observing Evangeline while he just poked and prodded, trying to look busy but getting caught up in watching her.

"I'm not staring," Steve lied, wondering what the point of lying really was. Obviously, the rest of the room had noticed he was preoccupied. Evangeline, not so much. She didn't have the sharp killer instincts of the rest of them, one of the many things he liked about her. Instead, she was off in her own world, enjoying the conversation she was able to have with her younger sister and ignoring the rest of them.

"You are. It's not like I'm going to tell her, you should just be aware," Sam shrugged a little, clapping Steve on the shoulder. He had the last couple days off at the VA and had taken to training with them, but he'd be back at work soon. Steve would miss the easy comradery. Bucky was great, but he didn't quite get the girl thing like Sam did. Sam was a flirt, almost as embarrassing as Natasha with the teasing, but he was also the only one Steve felt truly comfortable with when it came to talking about Evangeline.

"The scars on her back…" Steve trailed off and Sam glanced up, eyeing Evangeline for a moment.

"I've seen them before. You can't say you haven't noticed that she's got some concerning scars," Sam reminded him. It was true. Everything that had happened to her was concerning. But usually she kept them covered up. It wasn't that they were ugly; he'd never think of her as anything less than beautiful, but there was something about them that brought a low ache in his stomach, like he was about to be sick. Just imagining someone doing that to her…

"She usually doesn't show them," Steve settled with.

"Maybe she's more comfortable around us now. If you're going to be weird about it…"

"I'm not being weird. I just hate that something like that happened to her," Steve cut in, not wanting Sam to think he was judging her for something so completely out of her control. What those HYDRA bastards had done… He wouldn't forgive it. But he'd never want to make Evangeline uncomfortable either.

"She's a good kid. She got through it," Sam shrugged a little, waving when Evangeline looked over. She waved back slightly, still talking into her phone at a rate that Steve could barely understand from so far away. Sometimes, he forgot that she was only around twenty seven. She acted so much older most of the time, always keeping him on his toes and easily coming back with her own jokes to counter his. He was used to seeing her as a capable adult and it was odd to see her look so young as she talked, a childish smile lighting up her face.

"So tell him to shove his opinion up his ass! Jas has no right telling you how to live your life…" Evangeline hummed when the person on the other end of the phone spoke, shaking her head violently. "Tell on him. Mama Mags will take care of it. Besides, you could probably beat him up six ways to Sunday if you had to. Wasn't Alex teaching you how to fight over the summer?"

Steve had little to no idea who she was talking about. She'd mentioned that her sister was staying with her friend Nova for the time being (until the HYDRA debacle at the Tower was figured out) and he assumed that the people she was naming off were in Nova's family. It was a lively conversation and he was sure she was enjoying it. He wondered how much she missed her sister and if she missed her brother as well. He hadn't asked about her brother; she'd only mentioned him once. As often as she mentioned her sister, she left her brother and the rest of her family out of every other conversation they'd had. It was curious and Steve made a mental note to ask, wanting to know more about the family she'd grown up in, if only to know more about her.

"Come on. You can't just stand here and be a creep. Even if you are Captain America." Sam grabbed Steve's arm and dragged him over to the punching bags that were set up. They weren't far from the balance beam and Steve finally started working out for real, throwing out punches left and right, fist thumping into the bag.

Left, right, left, kick, left, right, jab, punch, roundhouse…

Thump, thwap, thump, tha-thump…

The comforting rhythm lulled him into a sense of peace as he worked out until his muscles started up a slow burn. Sam left after about twenty minutes of intense workout while Steve kept it up, breathing evenly and listening to the chains rattle and the therapeutic slap of skin against mats.

The stress of the night slowly slipped away and Steve relaxed into the familiar work, glancing over his shoulder a couple times to see that Natasha and Bucky were going at it on the mats. They were equally dangerous and it could get deadly fast, but Natasha would never let it get that far. Steve trusted Bucky not to kill Natasha and Natasha would pull the plug at the first sign of trouble. Not that she wouldn't love to get the Winter Soldier on the mat, it was just that she wouldn't risk it with Evangeline there.

Evangeline was off her phone and dancing around on the balance beam, stretching into splits with her arms held out to the sides. Steve stopped his workout to watch her, her entire body contorting to flip herself up to her feet, her balance almost uncanny even as she carefully avoided putting her full weight on her left leg. For someone who wasn't in the field, she was obviously strong. She curled herself back into a backbend, rolling out of it onto her stomach. Everything she did held a hidden precision, as if she knew that what she could do was dangerous to her body. She didn't seem the least bit concerned, eyes following Natasha and Bucky, her own movements an afterthought.

She hopped off the balance beam after a few minutes, stretching out on the ground. Her fingertips gripped her toes and she pulled herself flat against her legs, muscles stretching and bending to her will. He was honestly surprised she was so flexible. After having been injured so thoroughly, the only thing that seemed to trouble her was her left knee and the pull of the healing wounds on her back.

"I'm betting on Natasha. What do you think?" Sam dropped down onto the mat by Evangeline, stretching out as well. He wasn't anywhere near as flexible as she was, but Evangeline still smiled at him invitingly and sat up a little to eye the two on the mat. Steve moved to drop onto her other side, keeping a close eye on the sparring partners before them.

"I think the Sergeant will win," Evangeline shook her head, that analytical look back in her eyes.

"Why do you call him that?" Sam asked, pulling Steve's attention to Evangeline, who blinked at them in surprise, obviously not sure what he meant. "Why do you call Barnes the Sergeant?"

"You know you can call him Bucky," Steve offered, wondering if no one had ever told her his nickname. She had to know it- she'd read their files and probably knew more about them than they knew about themselves, but Steve hadn't actually looked in the file on Sergeant James Barnes. He'd looked at the Soviet Union's' files on the Winter Soldier and the old army files of Sergeant Barnes, but he hadn't looked at the new SHIELD files. Whatever she'd seen, maybe it hadn't held his nickname.

"I've always called him the Sergeant. It's his codename in the database. And… Well, I mean, he's never actually told me I could call him anything else, so…" Evangeline trailed off, shrugging a little before moving to curl one leg into her and stretch over the other. Steve contemplated this for a moment, thinking back. She'd called him the Captain until he'd told her to call him Steve and Sam had introduced himself to her. Bucky probably hadn't. He'd been following her around for so long that he probably hadn't even thought about it when they'd actually met.

"It's not like I wouldn't call him anything else, it's just that calling him 'Bucky' seems a bit presumptuous of me. I like to think we're friends, but Steve's really the only one who calls him Bucky. Everyone else calls him Barnes. And that seems more like something a coworker would do," Evangeline explained slowly, pursing her lips and wrinkling her brow now that she had to think about it. It's not that her logic didn't make sense. Steve just hadn't thought of it that way before. "And James, well, he's never really been called that, so I don't want to bring up something that would upset him."

"Makes sense," Sam nodded slightly. Steve thought it over. As far as he knew, the only people who called Bucky 'James' had been their school friends and his sisters. His mother and his youngest sister had called him Jamie, but they were the only ones. Steve and the Howling Commandos were the only ones who called him Bucky besides a few of the girls he'd gone out with back in the day. No one really called him Barnes outside of the Army and the Avengers. Really, Steve didn't know what she could call him without bringing up memories.

"Hey! See, I win!" Evangeline pointed to where Bucky had Natasha pinned to the mat, her blonde hair in his metal fist and a look of blatant triumph on his face while Natasha spit Russian insults at him.

Obviously, he was right about Evangeline knowing more about them than they did.


	30. Bedtime Cuddles

**This is so fluffy and I love it and I swear to God there's more action coming up! Thanks to my awesome Beta, lunar mischief, for getting this done for me! Happy (Late) Halloween everyone! Now it's time to dream about Thanksgiving… Mmmm, food… Any questions, ask away! Thanks to everyone who reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are my heroes! Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!**

"Is it alright if I stay in here tonight?" Eve stood in the doorway to Steve's room, wide eyes on him as she tried to figure out if he was up to sharing a room with her, if only for a few hours until she could fall asleep. She was leaning all of her weight on her right leg, the ache in her left knee almost overwhelming, and Natasha was already asleep. She didn't want to wake the other woman up trying to climb into bed and Steve was up, his light on and a book open in his lap.

He didn't even hesitate, closing the book and putting it aside, motioning her further into the room without a word to ask the most obvious questions. Honestly, she would answer whatever he wanted. It wasn't fair to ask him to put up with her, but it was comforting to have him close and she figured they could both use a little comfort after the fiasco the night before.

"Come on." He stood up and moved aside so she could climb in. She was barely to the bed when he wrapped an arm around her waist and scooped her up, setting her on the bed with practiced ease. He'd been carrying her around for a while; it wasn't a surprise that her weight didn't bother him. It was a surprise that she didn't immediately want to hit him for moving her without her permission. Maybe they were both getting a little too comfortable with that arrangement. "Your knee, it bothers you?"

Eve watched him turn the big light off as he checked the lock on the door almost compulsively, before turning to see if she was going to answer his question. Instead of answering aloud right away, she pulled the pant leg of her yoga pants up and let him see the damage and scarring that mapped out a dangerous picture around her left knee.

Steve didn't look away or really look surprised, instead moving a little closer and carefully reaching out to run his fingers over the raised bumps that made up the scars on her leg. It was the worst set of scarring she had, worse than her back, and came from multiple breaks and a bunch of surgeries involving steel rods and pins connecting the artificial kneecap and whatever else they'd put in in an attempt to save her leg. Nova could explain it better, but all Eve knew was that it had been a mess and that it hurt like hell when it had happened. She'd had to relearn how to walk on that leg after she'd finally healed enough to use it and it had taken a lot to get this far. When it got wet and cold outside, the pain came back and a sharp ache traveled through her leg, through the metal. She could almost imagine the metal moving without the bone, grinding against the muscle and tendons.

"They managed to destroy my kneecap and break my leg twice, here and here." Eve pointed to her tibia and fibula, right above some brutal scarring. "Spiral breaks that needed pins. I have a metal kneecap and pins in my leg, not to mention the pins in my wrist."

Steve glanced up when she held up her left wrist, two identical scars on either side of the joint pointing to that surgery. It wasn't as bad as her knee and the pins were just to keep the bones in place so they'd heal right, but it wasn't something she'd forget anytime soon. Seeing Steve looking at her with interest and sadness without pity and horror brought a small smile to her lips.

"I have almost as much metal in me as the Sergeant, if I'm being honest. They did a lot of restructuring and regrowth," Eve explained, pulling her pant leg back down and shrugging as if it meant nothing to her. It meant something, but it meant more that he wasn't telling her she looked disgusting or gross with the scars. Others weren't as kind and had been very vocal about how she looked without clothing covering the worst of the damage.

"Does it bother you a lot?" Steve asked instead of asking what happened or how they'd destroyed her so thoroughly, his hand now resting on her covered knee as he crouched in front of her, waiting patiently for an answer.

"When it gets cold and wet outside, the old aches return. I'm sure the Sergeant gets that way too. Aches and pains, phantom pain mostly. A lot of it, I shouldn't be able to feel because it doesn't exist anymore. Like pain in my kneecap. I don't actually have a kneecap, it's all synthetic. But it still feels like it hurts." Eve rubbed at the flesh under her pants, nibbling at her bottom lip in thought. She wasn't lying. She wasn't supposed to feel the pain in the actual kneecap. But that didn't mean the flesh around it couldn't swell and that it did. On a regular basis during the winter months.

"Bucky said that his arm does that. He can't actually feel pain with the prosthetic, just pressure sensors, but he swears it hurts sometimes," Steve informed her, pushing up to stand. Eve climbed deeper into the bed, curling up in the pile of blankets he had on it. Steve climbed in next to her, obviously not too bothered by her presence. He turned out the light on the bedside table and the only light that came into the room came from the window. It seemed brighter with the snow outside and the streetlamps glowing off of it, but Eve loved this kind of night, where the room was lit by snow instead of actual sunlight and the world seemed muted and comfortable. It was the best time to sleep, at least when she was younger. Now, she tended to stay up almost all night, watching the low light glitter off the snow and just enjoying the muted feel of a world that was largely asleep.

"I know what he means. It's really a weird feeling and knowing that it shouldn't hurt isn't the same as it not hurting." Eve sighed as she curled up in the blankets, Steve's scent wrapping around her comfortably. Steve laid down and he reached out first, brushing his hand along her arm until their fingers were linked together comfortably. He wasn't close; there was enough room between them for another person, but he was close enough and he was strong and safe, something Eve desperately needed. And talking to him wasn't all that terrible either. He didn't ask questions she couldn't answer and he seemed to have a sixth sense to know when she was comfortable with certain things and not with others.

"How do you deal with it?" Steve asked. "Knowing you can't do anything to make the pain better?"

"Well, my knee swells up, the flesh around the metal, so I usually put ice on it, or heat. Depends on how I feel. And then I just rest it as best I can. I'm sure that Dr. Cho could do something about it, but that would take going to the ATC and that's out of commission for the time being. The doctor who worked on me wasn't as advanced as Dr. Cho. I got some of the best Stark had to offer, but they weren't quite up to par with Dr. Cho when I was hurt- she was still researching all of her medical advances back then," Eve explained. "The pain will never go away fully. Too much nerve damage. If Dr. Cho did manage to graft on synthetics, it still wouldn't take away all the pain. Honestly, it's a lot better than it could have been. I almost lost the leg due to infection. The doctors worked a miracle when they fixed me."

Steve was tense and Eve wasn't as surprised as she could have been when he moved closer to her, her toes brushing against his sweatpants. He was close enough that even Eve could probably hurt him if she wanted to, but he didn't seem to be afraid of her, which, honestly, wasn't really that surprising. Most people wouldn't be afraid of her. But it was the kind of trust that Eve wanted desperately from him and she let herself relax as well, sighing a little as she curled one hand around the pillow under her head.

"This is getting way too heavy. What about you? You have any mystery scars I should know about?" Eve pushed back the rush of emotion and started teasing Steve, knowing that it was better than getting into what had really happened to her while she was in with HYDRA. He still didn't know the details and she didn't want him to. The guilt would be too much and she refused to do that to him. "You know, for medical purposes and future missions."

"You just want to see me shirtless," Steve informed her. Eve raised an eyebrow and smiled into the dark.

"I never mentioned seeing you shirtless. I was asking about mysterious scars," Eve reminded him, thoughts flashing to the DC footage she'd seen. The Sergeant had shot him twice in the abdomen and once in the thigh. It was possible he was alluding to those wounds. But he had others, she knew. She'd seen him on missions before and a lot of his scrapes had to end in some sort of permanent marks. Medical had seen more of Captain America than they wanted to, that was for sure. He was almost as bad as the Hawk, always getting injured.

"One right here." Steve's fingers led hers to his abdomen, rippling muscle warm under her own cool fingers, finding a puckered scar just above the V of his hips. Eve squinted, leaning over him in an attempt to see what she was feeling. It felt like… like a knife wound. Running her finger over it lightly, Steve practically fell off the bed with a noise that was akin to a cat dying.

"What was that?!" Eve squealed, laughing.

"It's ticklish. What were you doing?!" Steve forced himself quiet, his words coming out in a desperate hiss. Eve pressed a hand to her mouth to hold in her own laughter, still surprised to find that he was ticklish. On a knife wound, of all places. Come to think of it, that was exactly like the Steve Rogers she knew.

"I just wanted to see what it was! You're the one that practically fell out of bed!" Eve accused, smacking at his chest blindly. Steve caught her hand, his own chuckles blending with her laughter as he pushed her gently back into the bed, away from the edge they were leaning on precariously. Eve rolled with him, fingers tucking under his shirt to try and feel the wound again, her curiosity getting the better of her while he tried to wiggle away again, catching her wrists lightly in one of his hands.

"If you're going to feel me up, you should take me on a date first," Steve shot back, smirking at her in the dark.

"If you're going to hold me hostage in your bed, you should buy me a drink or two first," Eve offered, huffing out an annoyed breath when her hair fell into her face.

"I'm not holding you hostage!" Steve let her wrists go and threw a blanket over her, tucking her in as tightly as he could. Eve cursed him out as she attempted to figure out how to get out of the cocoon he was making around her, wiggling her hands free to swat at him when he tried to tuck her in even more securely.

"You're worse than a child!" Eve reprimanded, attempting to keep her laughing to herself. Steve grinned down at her and pulled her, blanket cocoon and all, into his chest, pressing his lips onto the top of her head before pulling back and laying down comfortably.

"Good night, Evangeline."

"Good night, Captain Washboard Abs."

"You're not going to tell Natasha about that are you?" Steve bolted upright and Eve curled into the cocoon he'd made her, stifling her giggles and pretending to have fallen asleep. "Evangeline…"

"Definitely telling her," Eve whispered a few minutes later, just in time for him to hear her. He let out a groan and threw an arm over her cocoon, the comforting weight helping her fall asleep.


	31. James Has a Friend

**I've been neglecting my most important friendship here! (One of them) So, here I fix that. Enjoy and thanks to everyone who reads and reviews and favorites!**

Eve pursed her lips as she stared at the screen of her computer and the holo-vid screens that Stark had sent it, her eyes sliding over mission parameters and new intel that had to do with Grant Ward. There was nothing completely out of the ordinary, at least for him. He'd killed almost all of the high ranking HYDRA officials and Maria was keeping a running tab of who was on his radar at the moment. Coulson was trying to track him with one goal in mind, and it wasn't to bring Grant to their side.

Coulson's work was actually the most helpful because he was almost obsessed with finding the man. Agent May and Agent Hunter, both with Coulson's team, could help more if they would upload their findings onto the shared database, but Eve could theoretically reach out to them to see if she could get an answer. Agent Lance Hunter was most likely to answer because he had no personal stake in Eve's life. Agent May was a friend of Maria's and would probably warn against her contacting Grant in the end. Maybe even take away her clearance all together. So contacting her was probably out of the question.

"Who is that?" A telltale wince pulled Eve back out of her work and she glanced at the Sergeant, who was standing in the doorway to the bedroom. Natasha and Steve were working out and the Sergeant looked like he was fresh out of the shower, his wet hair pulled back into a mess of a bun and his stubble shaved clean. He'd dressed in a pair of low hanging jeans and a sweater that she didn't recognize, the clean scent of soap wafting off of him as he made his way a few steps deeper into the room, eyes roaming over the kill sheet spread on one of the screens. He was analyzing, just like she had, and Eve decided that telling him wouldn't kill her.

"Grant Ward. He was a SHIELD agent I worked with when I was in training. Somehow, he rose into HYDRA leadership and he sent a message to SHIELD last year, saying he was trying to help. No one has been in contact with him, but he's still head of HYDRA right now, according to the intel we've been receiving," Eve explained, motioning to the various reports she was going through. Most were from Coulson and she took those with a grain of salt. He was still too upset about being deceived; she wasn't sure she could trust his judgment on this one.

"Do you think he's on SHIELD's side?" the Sergeant asked, scanning the data like he was memorizing it. It was entirely possible that he was and Eve had a moment where she wondered if telling him was a mistake. If he told Steve or Natasha, she was a dead woman.

"I'm not sure. That's why I'm doing the research. If he is, this could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for. A chance to take out HYDRA once and for all. But, if he's not, a lot of good agents could die. He's already had a run in with a few other SHIELD agents and it hasn't gone well. His old team is seriously convinced that he's on HYDRA's side." Eve shook her head a little, tugging on a stray curl as she contemplated the evidence before her. Maria was linked into the investigation, but she hadn't said much about what she thought. She'd worked with Grant before and liked him. He was a good agent. But was it all a lie? That was the question they needed answered.

"Was he one of the people that hurt you?" the Sergeant cocked his head slightly and Eve glanced at the screen he was looking over. Stats for Grant Ward, along with his picture and last known location. The assassin in him was already setting up the accident that would take Grant's life if that was what it came down to.

"No. Grant wasn't anywhere near Sci Ops when I was taken. It's highly improbable that he even knew I was captured until after they got me out. He was like a brother to me at one point and I want him to be on our side, but I don't know if that's clouding my vision on this one." Eve bit into her bottom lip, pulling up his kill sheet. So many lives taken by one man, including the members of his own family. From some reports she'd found from teachers and social workers when he was a kid, there was concerning behavior within the family and she'd heard him tell the stories, but that didn't mean they deserved to die in a fire he'd instigated. None of the people he'd taken out were considered innocent in the least, but it wasn't his job to play the Angel of Death.

"If Steve didn't think I was worth saving, I'd be dead," the Sergeant informed her without emotion, his dark eyes finding hers. Eve stared back at him, knowing that it was the truth. A lot of people had wanted to put the Winter Soldier down, including a lot of the Avengers. They hadn't thought he could be rehabilitated. He wasn't Bucky Barnes or even Sergeant James Barnes to them. He was just the Winter Soldier and the Winter Soldier had killed a lot of people. Sure, he was brainwashed and told he was doing what was right to help the country, but no one looked that far into what had happened to him. The government wanted someone to pay. And he'd been on the frontlines.

"Grant wasn't brainwashed. Not like you were. There was a man he trusted, one that saved him when he was younger that he followed into HYDRA. Garrett didn't believe in the HYDRA motto, he just wanted power. Grant did as asked because that man saved his life. He thought he owed him. After Garrett died, Grant went off the grid for a little bit. He's tried to reconnect with his old team, but they don't trust him. I'm not saying they don't have a good reason not to trust him, but it's hard to turn around when no one thinks you can." The Sergeant nodded with her words, still looking at her screens like they held some secret embedded in them. "If I give him another chance, there's a chance he'll kill more of our people. There's a chance that he'll try and find me."

"He won't find you," the Sergeant said it with all the confidence of a man who knew what he was talking about, and Eve would have laughed if she wasn't so seriously in over her head.

"HYDRA has hands in every pot. You guys have taken out a lot, but this is above even your paygrade. If Grant does get wind of where I am, there's a chance he'll try to contact me. Maybe even kill me just because I know him. It's dangerous, but it's the best chance we have at getting him on our side. If he really wants to help, it would be stupid not to allow him the choice," Eve informed the Sergeant, running a hand over her curls in frustration. She'd been going through the same argument with herself for two weeks and still couldn't come up with a response. If Grant was on their side, it could change the tide of the HYDRA war. But, if he wasn't, it was asking for trouble.

"Natasha's better at this than I am," the Sergeant informed her. Eve's lips curled a little, she could just imagine Natasha's reaction if she offered up the same information. Grant would be dead before the sun rose in the morning and they'd lose their chance to cut off HYDRA's only good head.

"Serge, you have no idea how much I wish I could ask her. But she'd take him out before I decide the best course of action. I have Maria's approval if I want to go ahead with a mission statement, but I'm not sure that's the best idea right now," Eve informed him, surprised when he took a few more steps into the room without her motioning him closer. He was usually skittish, but missions were something he was more comfortable with. She'd noticed that when he had a decisive reason for being in the room he was a lot more comfortable. Now, he was helping her with a mission. At least, kind of. And that gave him a better reason to be there than just to check on her or to see if she was bored.

"You can call me James." Eve's head snapped around, but the Sergeant wasn't even looking at her, his entire attention span focused solely on the screens. He reached out hesitantly and flipped through some files, not seeming to notice her shocked stare.

"I… Are you sure?" Eve's heart stuttered and she stifled a smile until after he answered, not wanting to sway his opinion. If he didn't want her to call him James, she wouldn't. She hadn't been calling him anything, really. Just Sergeant, which was what she called him on missions. It was like calling Steve 'the Captain', something that was comfortable and familiar. Talking to them with their first names made their friendships more concrete and Eve wasn't going to push her luck. Especially when it came to the Sergeant.

"Yes. I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." The Sergeant- James- gave her a dubious look and Eve let her smile show through.

"Thank you," she tried. She wasn't sure what else to say to him, so she kept quiet, letting him peruse the data stores she'd brought up while staring blankly at the screen for about an hour. Soon, Steve and Natasha would come up and she'd have to put the screens away, but she could think it through for now. And James had a lot of experience with HYDRA and with mission planning, so it wasn't like it was a terrible idea to ask him for help. Not only that, but he hadn't mentioned anything she'd said to him to Steve or Natasha. Keeping secrets was something he seemed to excel at.

"You're welcome. You're my friend, right?" James sent her a curious look and Eve nodded quickly, not an ounce of hesitation.

"Of course we're friends." It sent a spike of warmth through her to know that he was counting her as a friend now, and the smile on her face was probably permanent. It was different with him. James didn't have friends. He had Steve and then the Avengers and then everyone else. At least, in her view. Steve was his best friend, he put up with the Avengers, and everyone else seemed to annoy him to some degree. Eve knew she fell somewhere outside that circle and was happy to know that she wasn't part of 'everyone else' anymore.

"Then you can call me James." He shrugged like it made the most sense in the world, and Eve was suddenly aware that he was having a good day. His eyes were clearer than she'd ever seen them, a dark grey blue that was beautiful and mysterious at the same time. He was dressed and showered, clean and clean shaven for once. The stubble never stayed away for long, but it was still nice to see him clean. Instead of stalking around, he was standing near her, reading her work and actually interested. Usually, he seemed to put up with her. Engage her in conversation occasionally, yes, but not like this. Not where he talked back openly and gave clear opinions on her actions. "You could send him a message. He might respond. But being the leader, he'll need proof he can trust you. You'd have to have a reason you cut off communication with us."

"What kind of proof?" Eve asked seriously, deciding to think about their status as friends later. Right now, he was in mission mode and she needed to be too if she wanted his help.

"You'll need an emotional reason not to trust us anymore. It'll make the most sense given your status as a female." James blinked at her when Eve scoffed, rolling her eyes at his reasoning. Men and their inherent need to make everything about females emotional. The fact that James brought it up actually surprised her a little- he seemed more progressive than most of the people in the forties had been.

"You know, just because I'm a girl…"

"It's not you. It's them. They'll be more susceptible to manipulation if you play up your position as a female. Natasha does it all the time on missions. It's an inherent weakness in males who grow up in a patriarchal society, especially something like HYDRA. There are few females in HYDRA and even less that are in a position of authority. Using that will help you more than trying to appeal to his emotional attachments to you," James explained. Eve pursed her lips, pulling up a list of known HYDRA officials. He wasn't wrong. There was a serious lack of female influence.

"So what are you suggesting?" Eve finally caved, turning to face James fully.

"Send him a message and see if he responds first. If he does, and comes after you, you'll need to pretend that we've done something bad enough for you to want revenge. Revenge is the best motivator in their world. You just say something along the lines of that you're upset with us and want payback. They'll do the rest. They'll ask you questions, try and prove you're seriousness, but simply come up with a reasonable reason to want us dead," James shrugged and Eve raised an eyebrow, knowing he was hedging around something he thought she was smart enough to catch onto. Obviously, that wasn't the case.

"Spit it out."

"Tell them that Steve cheated on you or something," James offered blithely and Eve choked on thin air.

"What?!"

"You like him. He likes you. He wouldn't cheat on you, but it's a good motivator. At least, from what I've seen on TV…" James trailed off when Eve held a hand up, trying desperately to regain her regular breathing without turning purple. Sputtering a little, Eve's brain was completely at a standstill as she tried to process what he'd just told her.

"You want me to pretend Steve cheated on me if I get caught by HYDRA, which isn't part of the plan by the way, but that's not the point. Why do you think that would work?!" she hissed, pushing to her feet and staring up at him, flabbergasted.

"It will work. You're Seraphim. This guy knows that. Steve likes Seraphim, everyone who worked with him knew. Therefore, you two having a fight over him seeing someone else would make sense," James offered, sounding slightly confused by her inability to process what he was saying. Eve jumped when she heard voices downstairs, quickly spinning to shut down her computers and hide away the evidence of her prying into the world of HYDRA.

It was, technically, her job, but Natasha and Steve were still a little blurry on what she was working on and she wanted to keep it that way. When one of them was in the room, she tended to just look over finance reports and boring specs to keep them from delving too deeply into the work she was capable of doing. Now that James knew more, it was only a matter of time before the rest of them figured it out, but she didn't want them to know today. Not when she still had so much to think over, especially the fact that James, Steve's best friend, thought they were together. Or, at least, had a mutual liking of one another going on.

God, Eve hadn't felt like such a child in a long time.

"Do me a favor? Don't mention this," Eve motioned to the mess she was cleaning up and James nodded slightly, head still cocked to the side curiously. He wasn't stupid, he had a reason for mentioning that to her, but she'd have to figure out what that reason was some other time. Right now, she needed to think about what the hell she was going to send to Grant.


	32. The Talk

**TRIGGER WARNING: Kidnapping, torture, and descriptions of an attack.**

"She likes you." Steve's head snapped up and he was surprised to see that Bucky was in his doorway, leaning one shoulder against the frame with his arms crossed. He was tilted slightly to the left, his metal prosthetic pulling him sideways. It had taken a while to realize that was why he was always leaning slightly to the side and Steve had felt incredibly stupid when he'd finally figured out that the metal arm was heavier than his other one.

"Who likes me?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow before going back to sketching. He hadn't drawn since they'd gotten to Sam's, but inspiration had hit and he wanted to get it out before he lost the image.

"Eve," Bucky informed him. Steve shook his head, glancing up when his friend took an extra two steps into the room, his back to the wall when he angled his body so that he could see the door and the window at the same time. His eyes flickered to the house across the street before he was back to staring at Steve blankly, his expression surprisingly serene.

"Yeah, she likes me as a friend," Steve denied, smudging out a line.

"No. She likes you as more," Bucky argued, pulling Steve's attention away from his drawing. Looking up, Steve took in Bucky's entire posture, noticing that he looked almost aggressive. Shoulders taut, hands fisted, feet planted to take a hit. Steve wasn't about to throw a punch, but Bucky had been on guard ever since he'd brought him home after DC. It was familiar, even if it still brought a sharp bout of pain through Steve's chest. His friend was finally home, but Bucky wasn't all home. There was a part of Bucky, a large part, that had been left in those HYDRA labs across Europe. And, no matter how many HYDRA soldiers they killed, that part wasn't coming back.

"Buck, no she doesn't. Evangeline is amazing, but she can do better-" Steve jumped a little when Bucky's fist slammed into the wall, cutting off what he'd been about to say. It was the human one, thank god, so it didn't go through the wall, but it effectively stopped Steve mid-sentence.

"Don't do that. Don't put that on her. Eve is a lot better than all of us put together, but she likes _your_ dumb ass." It was something the old Bucky would have said and Steve had to ignore the shock it brought on, fighting to process what he meant and why he was telling him. "She deserves her choice, you know that. And she just keeps choosing you, no matter if you're being stupid."

"I'm not being stupid. When this is all over, when Stark figures out who the hell attacked the Tower, she gets to go home. She goes back to her life. This is our life, not hers. Why would anyone choose this? Running, fighting, watching people get hurt and die? She won't be safe," Steve growled back.

"If you're going to argue, shut the door. Eve's downstairs, not deaf," Natasha said, sticking her head in before slamming the door shut in a flash of annoyance. Steve's pencil snapped in half, leaving a charcoal streak along his drawing, a jagged scar along the hairline of the woman in the picture. A woman with glowing golden eyes and a smile that lit up a room.

"SHIELD is just as involved in this as HYDRA is. You think that Seraphim will just be a codename after they figure out who attacked the Tower? HYDRA isn't stupid and they know who she is. They know," Bucky growled at him, taking another step forward, eyes reflexively checking the window again. Steve fought the urge to look as well, instead focusing his attention on his friend. Bucky could be as pissed as he wanted to be, but Steve doubted his friend would let a sniper take him out. If anything, it looked like Bucky would strangle him himself. "She's safer with you than away from you. At least if she's with us, we can make sure she's safe."

"They can't know who she is for sure," Steve denied, shaking his head and ignoring the thought that they could. They could know who she was. They could be searching for her right now and he'd never know. If they took her again, he couldn't be held responsible for what he would do to anyone who hurt her.

"Yes, they can. She was captured by them, tortured for information. Who do you think they were looking for? Her little friend? No," Bucky snarled, cruel in his anger. "They were looking for you."

Steve physically flinched back from Bucky, jumping to his feet and pacing quickly. The cold wood pressed into his feet and Steve threw his notebook back onto the bed, paper crinkling on contact while he rubbed a hand over his hair tensely. His shoulders were bunched up to his ears and he grit his teeth, shaking slightly at the thought of Evangeline being tortured for information on him.

"She would have told me," Steve lied. He knew it was a lie. She wouldn't have told him because it would kill him. Slowly. He'd already made the guess. He was the one she'd worked with the most. They were either looking for him, Nat, or Barton and it wasn't like she'd worked with Barton too much. Strike Team: Delta didn't often work with coms. They were the type to go in and get out without backup. So it had to have been him they were looking for specifically.

He couldn't imagine her giving her own life to keep his safe. Evangeline was wholly human; she didn't heal like he did, and she didn't know how to fight and escape like Natasha. She was fragile in her humanity and that was one of the things that terrified him the most. Because he wasn't worth her life. Not by a long shot. And he would never ask her to let herself get hurt in exchange for keeping his secrets safe. If that was the case, he wished she'd just told them where to find him. If it would save her from pain, he didn't give a damn about the consequences when it came to his own life.

"She cares about you. There's a lot you don't know about and you need to ask her. She's done more than enough at this point. It's your turn," Bucky snapped, spinning and exiting the room without another word. Steve stared after him as the door banged into the wall, wondering if what he said was true. Evangeline wouldn't have a normal life, not after they left and definitely not after everything that had happened in her life. HYDRA would always be a factor, though he was still unsure if they could know who she really was. It was possible, but hopefully unlikely. Either way, he was willing to stick around.

He wasn't surprised at all when Evangeline's head popped into view a minute later, her golden eyes wide and her auburn curls tumbling over one shoulder as she looked at him like she could read the answers to her questions in the line of his shoulders. She probably could, if he was being honest. She knew more about him than he knew about himself and he was secure enough to admit that.

"Are you alright? There was a bang and then James went into his room and slammed the door…" Evangeline trailed off, obviously waiting for him to fill in the blank. He noted the use of Bucky's first name, wondering when he'd given her permission to call him that. It wasn't something that she would just do, she'd already explained to him and Sam why she didn't call him anything but the Sergeant, so Bucky had to have said it was alright. An odd clenching in his chest brought his hand up to press into the area above his heart, rubbing slightly to stop the burning. Bucky and Evangeline were friends, nothing more, nothing less. If anything, the conversation they'd just had proved that.

"We had a little bit of an argument." Steve waved her into the room and Evangeline stepped in, seemingly more comfortable now that she was practically living in his bedroom. Not that he had a problem with that. It was just… a little improper. At least, in his time, it would have been. Now, it obviously wasn't. Evangeline would be the first to let him know if she felt uncomfortable. He was just thinking it through too much. But he couldn't help it, after the conversation he'd just had.

"About what?" Evangeline moved in to sit on the bed and Steve carefully sat down next to her, looking at the doorway instead of at her face. It was easier to pretend it didn't bother him if he didn't have to look at her understanding gaze. Seeing her waiting for an answer would tempt him to explain it to her and he couldn't do that yet.

"It wasn't really about anything. I think he's getting cabin fever," Steve lied, hating himself for it. There was no reason to lie, but he couldn't tell her that they'd argued about her. Not when it was his fault in the first place.

Evangeline took his hand in hers and Steve absently traced the tilted X on the back of her hand, the raised bumps of the scar tickling the pad of his finger. She didn't push him away or even really seem to notice, her attention solely on what was bothering him.

"Evangeline, when did all of these happen?" Steve blurted, cursing himself afterwards. Yeah, that was real fucking smooth.

"Oh, uh…" Evangeline practically flinched away from him, her fingers tightening reflexively before she released him slightly, her entire body curling in. Her shoulders hunched and Steve looked up to see that she was staring at her own hands and arms, eyeing the scars there without seeing. He kept his hold on her hand and cursed himself for being so inept. Obviously that question would make her uncomfortable.

"You don't have to tell me," Steve immediately placated, even if he did want to know. He had a feeling he knew when she'd been taken, but he needed to hear it. Needed her to trust him enough to tell him. It was stupid, but he was a glutton for punishment and he needed to hear it right now. Needed to hear that Bucky was right, that she trusted him. That she wanted him to know her. That it was all basically his fault that she'd been hurt. Bucky might not have come right out and said it, but Steve wasn't stupid. He heard the implication loud and clear.

"No, it's alright. I just don't talk about it much…" Evangeline trailed off and seemed to shake herself out of whatever trance she'd been in, her head coming up to stare at the wall determinedly. "I told you I was captured by HYDRA. They wanted information I had, information I still have. It's been a while, almost two years now, but it still seems like it was yesterday."

"Two years. That was when they were first outed," Steve surmised. Evangeline scowled, but nodded slightly. "Were you in the Triskelion?"

That was the answer he dreaded most. If she was taken in the Triskelion, it was definitely his fault. One hundred percent. He'd been the one to lead that attack and all those who were injured or killed were on his conscience. He knew that. He'd seen the death toll, he'd read the names. Afterwards, he'd made some anonymous donations to try and ease the guilt. Nothing helped and he was pretty sure knowing Evangeline had been taken in the midst of that would break him. He cared too much about her.

"No, I wasn't. I was supposed to be, but I was giving some guest lectures at Sci Ops and they kept me over a day for a class they wanted me to speak at. When HYDRA came out, I was speaking," Evangeline informed him. Steve gripped her hand a little harder, reassuring her and himself that she was safe. That she was here and not back in the HYDRA stronghold. "The message went over the screen I was using. The kids… There were kids from Ops there too. They were well trained, meticulous, and shot to kill. There were more kids than we anticipated that were in HYDRA's pockets. It was like a slaughter.

"There's a way out of Sci Ops, down in the Boiler Room. Only a few people actually know about the false walls that surround the place. It was an emergency precaution made by a couple of kids in the early days and it was long forgotten by the time we got there. Nova found it when she was fixing a set of leaky pipes and we kept it between us. I got as many of the kids that weren't with HYDRA down there as I could, but I went into the wrong classroom and they managed to capture me.

"As a precaution, we've never given out my codename or my real name. It's for safety reasons and only the head of the school knew who I worked with. A few teachers knew my name, but that was because they taught me when I was a student there. It wasn't until I managed to help a few kids escape from the auditorium where they were holding us that someone identified who I was by the sound of my voice. When they found out I was Seraphim, it was like no one else mattered to them. They killed most of the teachers and locked the few of us that were 'of use' in the cells under the school," Evangeline trailed off, taking a deep breath. Steve pulled his hand away to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. It was as much to reassure him as it was to reassure her.

Rage pooled in his gut and Steve wanted to kill anyone who had dared to lay a hand on her. Two years was a long time, but he could track them down. With Stark Tech behind him and Natasha at his side, it would be laughably easy. He wasn't usually the type to hunt people down to slaughter them, but he could make an exception for someone who had scarred her so badly. The rest of him, the part that wasn't full of anger and thrumming blood, was horrified. He could feel the grief for the girl she'd been, for all the things she'd lost, just below the surface. He liked this Evangeline so much, but the pain she had gone through… he would gladly reverse it. Even if it meant never seeing her again. It might actually kill him, never seeing her again, but he would do it to save her from that.

"I was with them for two months. The kids that got out of the building were all debriefed by what remained of SHIELD and that's how Nova figured out I was still alive. She was with Tony Stark at a science convention when the HYDRA debacle happened, so he got her out safely. When they figured out where I was taken and what had happened, Maria started planning a mission to take back the building. She knew that they would keep me if they figured out who I was; I hold too much information to kill right away. The question was if they'd figured it out or not.

"Maria set up a team to go in. By the time they figured out people were being held in Sci Ops, it was almost too late. Most of the captives were dead or dying, too far gone to save. Since the remaining members of SHIELD didn't know who they could trust, Nova's family offered up their services when they figured out I might still be alive. They refused to leave me behind." Evangeline gave a delicate shiver and Steve remembered that time. There was a four month period of time where he hadn't heard from her. SHIELD was in shambles, but Hill set him up with Nova a few times when he did need help. He'd been angry about it. They wouldn't tell him anything about Evangeline, where she was or what had happened to her. By the time he was back on missions, Nova was still running them and Steve had put up such a stink that Evangeline had appeared on coms just to yell at him after a particularly terrible mission.

He'd assumed she'd been injured in the Triskelion fiasco, but he never would have guessed that she'd been captured or was healing from being tortured. All he could get out of anyone was that she wasn't a traitor, which he had known. She'd been working with him for almost three years at that point, he'd had to believe that she wasn't HYDRA or he would have gone insane.

"Nova ran the op and Tony Stark ran the ground team. Maria and Nova's mom were the ones who found me. They managed to stabilize me long enough to fly me out, but then it was basically up to a miracle. Stark had all the best doctors on retainer, they were waiting for me when we got there, but it was really touch and go, I guess. I don't remember much of the rescue or even much of the aftercare. It was all a painful blur at the time and I was in and out of consciousness. Nova's family was there the whole time and Tony had Elise flown in. He likes to pretend we don't know each other, but he was the one who saved my life. You'd think, with Tony's ego, he'd love to hang it over my head, but I think seeing me just reminds him of what happened at Sci Ops. And, as much as he probably won't admit it if asked, he does like me." Evangeline squeezed Steve's hand gently, trying to lighten the mood.

Steve didn't have the heart to tell her that it wouldn't work. Imagining her dying left an ache in his bones that wouldn't go away with just a few jokes. And knowing that Tony Stark saved her life didn't help any. He didn't like owing people, but he definitely owed Tony if he was the one who had gotten her medical care and managed to get her out of HYDRA's hold. A world without Evangeline wasn't really one he wanted to experience.

"How… How did you live through it?" Steve forced himself to ask. There had to be times where she wanted to give up, where she wanted to die. Two months was too long and he noticed she'd gleaned over what had happened while she was with HYDRA. Pushing wouldn't get him anywhere, but he wanted to know if they asked about him, if she was hurt to keep him safe.

"I just… I did. One day at a time. I knew that, if they broke me, if they killed me, they'd find someone else. And whoever it was, they would probably tell HYDRA everything," Evangeline explained softly. Her voice had lowered to almost a whisper and Steve hugged her to him, setting his chin on the top of her head and just holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in deeply. "I couldn't let them win. And I wouldn't let them hurt someone else. So I gave them information I was one hundred percent sure was compromised. Enough to keep them from killing me because they'd know I knew something, but not enough to get anyone hurt. By the time I got out, I couldn't have told them anything even if I wanted to. They were just keeping me because they thought it was… fun…"

A delicate shiver ran up her spine and Steve pet her hair down, clenching his jaw to keep his opinion about the HYDRA bastards to himself. She didn't need him reiterating that they were assholes. She knew better than almost anyone.

"We won't let them get ahold of you again," Steve promised gruffly, his own voice low and dangerous. No one would touch her. Not while he was alive.

 **And now we know more about what happened to Evangeline! Thanks to all favorites, reviews, and follows! Still responding to all questions, so let me know if you're curious about anything.**


	33. Natasha has Terrible Timing

**Hello everybody! Here's another chapter. I hope you all love it because I loved writing it! Can't wait for some reactions here, thanks for all the reviews and the favorites, follows, and general love.**

"Okay, but if you're going to make spaghetti, you have to put this in." Eve handed Steve some garlic out of the cupboard, raising an eyebrow expectantly while he just smirked at her. "Come on, you have to make it right."

"I am making it right. You're just being nosy. If you're going to tell me how to make it, why don't you just go ahead and make it yourself?" Steve asked seriously, opening up the garlic and pouring some into the sauce he was making. From scratch. Because, apparently, Captain America enjoyed cooking. Eve knew he'd made a few meals for them all, but they were all generally trading kitchen duty around. James never cooked, but he also didn't really go into the kitchen often. Eve hadn't really thought about it enough to realize that Steve seemed to enjoy his kitchen duties.

"You said you were going to make me supper after our nice little chat. I'm just expecting good food. That's all," Eve teased. It had taken all afternoon to get him to crack a smile. Eve was pushing off her own emotional ramifications, channeling her best coms personality to keep running. Steve had been horrified after finding out what had happened while she'd been in HYDRA. She hadn't told him everything (there were things she wouldn't even let herself remember) but it had been enough. He had a timeline and a setting as well as a few pieces of the puzzle that he now knew. There were so many other things, so much more she could have told him. But she couldn't do it. Not when he was so emotionally connected to it. The band aid method wasn't the most recommended when it came to super soldiers. They tended to break things when they were upset. IE: Sam's walls.

"The food will be fine if you'd stop distracting me. And stop handing me ingredients," Steve added as Eve held out the onion salt.

"Then start getting them before I do." Eve pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose at him as he sprinkled some of the onion salt in as well before handing it back. Eve put both shakers back into the cupboard, jumping a little when Steve's arm brushed her shoulder as he reached around her and pulled out the pepper.

"Maybe I'd get to them first if you weren't sitting in front of the cupboard I need to get in," he informed her, his chest brushing her back before she turned into him, poking at his stomach so he'd back up. She was met with a hard wall of muscle.

"Maybe I sat here so you wouldn't put anything stupid in the spaghetti," Eve countered. She already knew what she was sitting in front of, but that wasn't the main reason she'd chosen the spot, right next to the stove. It was the perfect vantage point to see the entire kitchen and it was right next to the food. She could taste test all she wanted. It had nothing to do with being right next to her favorite super soldier. Not at all.

"Or maybe you just enjoy being close to me." Steve cocked his head and gave her his best little shit smile, eyes sparkling when she stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, when is it going to be ready?" Eve poked him again, though he was now over by the noodles. He was stirring and mixing like a natural, as if he'd been in the kitchen his entire life. It was an odd scene, seeing Captain America cooking something as mundane as spaghetti. To be fair, Eve had suggested spaghetti for dinner. But seeing him, making it, was almost humbling, in a way. She knew Steve was a generally normal person. Aside from being a superhero most of the time and having the super serum in his veins, anyway. But he was still just a man. It was something that brought her back down to earth for a moment, one of those rare times in her life where everything seemed so completely and utterly normal…

"Jeez, doll, give me a few minutes." Steve handed the pepper to her and Eve sighed, turning to put it back where he'd found it. She'd pretty much reorganized everything in Sam's kitchen during her stay. If he noticed, he hadn't mentioned it to her.

"You have three. Go." Eve stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her legs, waving her feet at him.

"How about ten and I make garlic toast?" Steve offered in return, making his way over to the fridge and pulling out a loaf of some special bread. He pulled out the butter as well and started to get to work on the counter on the other side of the sink.

"If there's garlic toast involved, I'm in. You have ten minutes," Eve nodded slightly, though the math wouldn't add up. The garlic toast wouldn't take very long once the oven was ready. But doing the sauce, the noodles, and the bread all at once would take a little longer. Careful planning was her forte. If she wasn't careful, people could die. It wasn't that serious over something like supper, but her mind wouldn't stop working just because she wasn't planning a mission.

"Stop staring. It's creepy," Steve informed her suddenly. Eve jumped, not used to the things she was staring at talking back to her. Usually, unless it was FRIDAY, computer screens didn't speak. And FRIDAY didn't actually talk that much. She tended to be pretty quiet unless asked a specific question. That was part of what Eve loved about the program. She was more than helpful, but wasn't as nosy as JARVIS.

"I'm not staring. I'm thinking. You should try it sometime," Eve teased, smirking up at Steve.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Hand me the garlic, please?" Steve was already reaching out an expectant hand and Eve narrowed her eyes at him briefly.

"I thought you didn't want me to hand you things-"

"Evangeline…"

"You said I was interrupting your cooking. You said to leave it for you to get. You _said_ -"

"Okay, I'm sorry…"

"-I was distracting you." Evangeline pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose at him, debating if she was actually going to get him the garlic or not. It was fun to watch him roll his eyes heavenward, like God would grant him an answer. It was especially fun when those sky blue eyes met her own hazel, an emotion she didn't quite recognize staring back at her. It was definitely not annoyance or anger, more like fondness. But infinitely stronger and much older.

"You always distract me. I'm pretty sure it was part of the job description," Steve informed her crisply, two long strides bringing him even with her and the counter. Reaching out, his large hands cupped her hips in a soft hold, warmth shooting through Eve's chest and turning her blood into liquid heat. Tensing just slightly, Steve shifted her to the side, just a few inches, far enough that she was no longer perched in front of the cupboard he was trying to get into.

"Well, you know, my job wasn't well-defined. Maybe it was in the fine print," Eve offered, staring straight into Steve's blue eyes that were far, far too blue. Maybe the serum enhanced those too. It was practically sinful for him to have such beautiful eyes when the rest of him was built like a sculpture.

His hands didn't move from her hips, fingers tightening just slightly as he leaned down, mere inches from her face. His warm breath caressed her cheeks and Eve licked her bottom lip, his eyes flashing down as she did. Stepping in, Steve's hips were between her knees, his warmth radiating into her. She wanted to soak it all in, soak him in. Her hands were on the counter near his and he brushed his long fingers over her own, tangling just their fingertips together on the countertop.

"Maybe it's just an added bonus," Steve offered, his voice low and soothing. Eve opened her mouth to respond, desperate to keep him close, to keep him in the same breadth of space that they were accompanying now.

She never got the chance to speak.

Warm and incredibly soft, Steve's lips pressed into her own, cutting her off before she could even think of a proper response. Slow, intimate, he moved his lips against hers in a tantalizing rhythm, pressing and pulling away, prompting her to follow after him, her fingers curling around his tightly. He gripped her back, tilting his head down so that he could press against into her more firmly.

Eve opened her mouth, drawing a sharp breath through her nose as the world around her faded to just Steve's lips. Just the press of his mouth against hers and the warmth of his chest radiating towards her. The tip of her tongue traced the curve of his bottom lip and everything changed in an instant.

Steve's right hand pulled out of her hold and cupped the back of her neck, fingers threading through her curls and thumb pressing against her rapidly pounding pulse. He pressed lightly, tilting her head back for better access, and then he was there. Everywhere. Tasting all of her. His tongue stroked hers, his own breathing ragged as he leaned into the kiss. Reaching out, Eve gripped his loose shirt in her fist, tugging him closer, close enough that she had to push her knees further apart to accommodate.

Humming in appreciation, Eve blinked her eyes open, not even aware that they'd slid closed. Steve's brilliant blue eyes were in slits, staring back at her, and he pulled back just slightly when she looked at him, lips brushing hers in a soft kiss before he pulled back completely, thumb brushing over her pulse as Eve desperately tried to control her breathing.

Steve's eyes were a darker blue than she'd ever seen them, the depths of the ocean flashing in his eyes, and his lips were bruised. Such plump, kissable lips. It was a wonder he was single when he was so amazing. At least, in Eve's eyes he was amazing. She knew about a thousand female SHIELD agents who would agree with her. People who had grown up on stories of the Captain and his Howling Commandoes. He was a real, live hero. And every ounce of her being knew that he was much, much more than that. Especially to her.

"Where did Captain America learn to kiss like that?" Eve asked in a breathless voice, honestly a little curious. Steve's eyes lit up, the shadows merging with the sunlight in his gaze and an honest-to-god smile broke over his face.

There was no pausing before his lips were on hers again, rougher, more demanding this time. Eve tugged on his shirt again and he leaned into her, towering over her. Lips pressed together, moving in sync, he drank from her, bearing down. No longer pulling back. Eve rolled forward a little, straining, sucking his bottom lip between her teeth to gently nibble there. A guttural moan escaped him and Eve felt her lips tilt even as she licked away the sting, the fingers on the back of her neck tightening just enough to pull her closer.

"Fucking finally!" Eve yanked away on instinct, eyes snapping open while Steve spun to face the intruder, putting himself between her and the danger. As if it was instinct.

"Natasha!" Steve growled, the fingers of his left hand still tangled with the fingers of Eve's right. She squeezed gently to pull his attention away from the woman who had so rudely interrupted their make out session, a blush flaring along her cheeks. Not many things could pull a blush from Eve, but getting caught making out like a teenager with Captain America was definitely one of the things that could do it.

"What? I have to go tell Barnes. He's going to shit himself. I can't believe Sam is missing this," Natasha grinned, winking at Eve when she peeked out from behind Steve. Eve was pretty sure she was as bright as a tomato now.

Steve had kissed her. Holy shit, Steve had kissed her. What did that mean?

"I'm going to kill you," Steve informed Natasha, who didn't look all that afraid. Then again, Steve hadn't actually made a move away from Eve yet. He was in the same spot he'd been in when they'd kissed, just with his back to her and his hips resting against the kitchen counter. His fingers were still entangled with hers and Eve glanced out again to see that Natasha just rolled her eyes at the announcement.

"You're going to burn supper, is what you're going to do," she quipped before disappearing out the door.

"Son of a bitch!" Steve practically flew away from her, yanking the noodles off the stove and almost burning himself in the process. The water sloshed and he stirred the meat with the other hand as quickly as he could, the panic clear on his face.

"I can't believe I let you kiss me with that mouth," Eve retorted before she could stop herself, eyes widening when she realized the words that shot out of her mouth. Yeah, joking about the kiss would be all cute and fluffy, if she knew what the hell he meant by it! If he was just kissing her because she was female, and there, she was going to die of embarrassment. Or just run off to Maine, where her and Nova could catch a flight to Mexico, change their names, and pretend this moment never happened. That would be alright too.

"I can't believe you let me almost burn supper. I thought you were supposed to be making sure I didn't screw this up." Steve squeezed her knee as he moved past, sending her a smile before he was off grabbing the garlic bread that never actually got garlic on it. Turning where she sat, Eve grabbed the garlic from the cupboard and held it out as he passed. His warm fingers brushed against hers as he took it, carefully sprinkling some on before he threw the entire pan in the oven, tossing her the shaker back.

"I said I wasn't going to let you put anything stupid in it. Keeping time was all your job," Eve informed him. "Did you miss the part where Sam and I managed to set fire to a towel when we were trying to cook pancakes?"

"I thought that was just Sam." Steve glanced back at her sharply, his expression dropping from general amusement to actual concern in less than a minute. Eve pursed her lips to keep from saying anything else incriminating, pasting on her most innocent expression. Technically, Sam had been the one to burn the pancakes. And to set the towel on fire. But Eve had been the one who distracted him in the first place, so it was kind of her fault as well. Either way, Sam had elected not to mention that to Steve, obviously. "You know, your innocent expression doesn't work very well."

"My innocent expression works just fine, thank you very much." Eve pointed at the sauce and Steve automatically stirred it before he started straining the noodles and finishing the rest of supper.

Eve sat and watched him, wondering if this would be what it would be like to have Steve as a partner. It was so easy. Teasing him, playing around, even kissing him. Everything seemed to make sense when they were together. She'd told him about her past and he hadn't flinched away from her. He hadn't asked the obvious questions everyone asked. How did you get this scar? Where is it from? Who did it? The questions would probably come later, but she appreciated him pushing them off.

"That's what you think. You just look really guilty when you pull that face," Steve informed her, smiling his slightly crooked, teasing grin. Eve shook her head.

"I think it's just you." That innocent look had saved her life before. Then again, so did being a smartass and her unerring ability to give directions.

"I'm fine with that. Come on, your dinner awaits." Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her off the counter carefully, making sure she landed lightly on her feet, her own soft body sliding against his unforgiving muscle. Eve felt a shudder run through him and she glanced up to see that his eyes had darkened again, as deep and mysterious as the ocean. His gaze flickered to her lips and Eve was only marginally surprised when he pulled her a few steps away from the counter and dipped her back just slightly, his lips crashing into hers.

One large hand was pressed between her shoulder blades, holding most of her weight, while the other one gripped her waist securely. For the first time in a long time, Eve felt weightless. Like the world was taken off her shoulders and for a moment, she could just be. Her own hand found its way to the back of his neck, the soft, short hair there tickling her palm as she ran her fingers up lightly. Steve pulled back just slightly before he peppered her with kisses. The corner of her lips, her bottom lip, the tip of her nose, her cheekbone…

She broke into giggles, her free hand reaching up to swat his shoulder gently.

"Told you! You owe me a hundred bucks, Barnes." Steve pulled Eve to her feet and they both turned to glare at Natasha, who had her phone out and pointed at them, James right behind her. It was the first time Eve felt any sort of permanent anger at her friend. If this was the only time she'd have with Steve, she would take it in a heartbeat. And Natasha kept walking in and making jokes that sent a blush running along Eve's cheeks, making her want to run and hide away until her heart stopped beating so wildly.

James grumbled under his breath and Eve turned a shade darker when she realized he'd muttered: "Couldn't wait two days."

 **Ahhh! Finally! I'm definitely Natasha in this chapter. Let me know what you all think!**


	34. Placing Bets

**Hey everyone! Loved the reviews for last chapter! I'm so glad you guys liked it! Here's the next chapter, some of Steve's thoughts on the whole thing. FYI, the next two weeks I will be without internet. I'm going to try and post whenever I get around WiFi, but I'm not making any promises. I'll update as soon as I get internet back, I promise I'm not abandoning the story or anything. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!**

Steve almost groaned out loud when Bucky handed Natasha a hundred dollar bill he seemed to pull out of nowhere. If they were any more embarrassing, he'd have to start introducing them to people as his parents. Come to think of it, his mother, Sarah, would have loved Evangeline. She'd have been just as embarrassing as Natasha, though she would have left Evangeline mostly out of the teasing. Unlike Natasha, Sarah had tact.

He glanced down at the woman in his arms, glad he did when he realized her cheeks were flushed and she was once again trying to retreat into her hair. One of his arms was still wrapped around her back and he pulled her into his chest, letting her hide her face in his shirt so she didn't have to see the triumphant little dance Natasha was doing in the doorway. Bucky looked positively livid, scowling at Steve like it was his fault that they'd taken bets on when he would kiss Evangeline.

"You two are terrible," Steve informed them, just because he figured it would make Evangeline feel a little better if he was a little upset as well. Honestly, he didn't think even their embarrassing games would upset him right now. He'd kissed Evangeline.

He'd kissed Evangeline.

And she'd kissed _back_.

"If it wasn't you, you'd have totally been in on the action. So don't give me that. And Eve, there's no need to hide. I promise, I'm done teasing you. For now." Natasha stuffed the bill into her pocket and regained her composure, slipping seamlessly into a practical façade. From the twinkle in her eye, Steve would bet that she was still secretly enjoying embarrassing Evangeline, but would put it away if it made the other woman more comfortable.

"Just because you have shitty timing…" Steve started. He knew he'd made a mistake when Natasha's face lit up, her mouth opening to spew what was probably going to be a fairly embarrassing comeback.

"Evangeline St. James, you let him kiss you with that mouth?!" It was almost the exact same joke Evangeline had made about ten minutes before and Steve groaned, suddenly knowing why Natasha and Evangeline were such good friends. They thought a lot alike for one of them being one of the best spies that ever lived and the other being the best communication's specialist in SHIELD.

"It's not as funny when I'm not the one saying it," Evangeline muttered, her face still buried in his chest. Steve chuckled a little, patting down her soft curls and shooting a glare at Natasha over her head.

"I am appalled! Barnes, keep your friend on a leash," Natasha demanded in an exaggerated tone, throwing her blonde ponytail over her shoulder imperiously. Apparently, finding him kissing Evangeline had put her in an unreasonably good mood. Steve shared part of that sentiment, but then, he was the one who had gotten to kiss her, not Natasha.

"I tried once. He just chews through it," Bucky informed her in a completely dead voice. Even Evangeline paused and peeked out from her hiding place, staring at Bucky like he was some sort of alien. Steve bit back a smirk while Natasha turned to follow Bucky around the counter and into the dining area, her eyes narrowed.

Steve let Evangeline go so they could go eat, though he would love nothing more than to just take her back up to his bedroom and talk to her for a while. And possible kiss her again. It was a privilege he wasn't sure he'd earned, but it was definitely worth earning. She was definitely worth it. He would do just about anything to have her near him like that, to be able to touch her freely. Caress her the way she deserved to be caressed. She deserved the utmost care and he would strive to give her that, if she let him.

"They are so embarrassing." Evangeline pressed the backs of her hands into her cheeks, her nose crinkled and her eyes glittering. Her lips were still red and slightly bruised, a sight that caused Steve's entire body to tense in anticipation. Instead of reaching for her like he was tempted to, Steve grabbed the noodles and the sauce, balancing them out carefully so as not to spill.

"I don't know why we keep them around." Steve rolled his eyes and motioned Evangeline into the dining room, watching her walk out in front of him. The soft sway of her hips caught and held his attention as he followed, dragging his eyes up when he heard Natasha sniggering. She didn't even get to open her mouth before Steve was glaring at her in warning. Just because he was appreciating Evangeline's walk didn't mean Natasha could make a derogatory comment about his interest.

It honestly wasn't about sex.

Sure, he was a red blooded male and he'd entertained the idea before of what it would be like to have Evangeline fully, to lay her out under him, but he had more respect than to kiss her once and then pull her into bed. In all honesty, his mother would be rolling over in her grave for him kissing Evangeline without taking her out properly first. He'd been raised by a woman who believed he should treat the women he liked with respect and honor, two things that he swore by. He had the utmost respect for Evangeline, as his communication's specialist and as a woman he was interested in seriously. And he would protect her honor to his dying breath if he had to.

Which meant he wasn't going to fuck this up. He'd kissed her, yes. She'd kissed back, yes. But he was going to make sure that she understood he was in it for the long haul. If she wanted him, he would be whatever it was she needed. And, if she didn't want him, that was alright too. He'd still protect her, make sure she was safe. All that mattered was that she was happy. He wanted her in all the tangled ways a man could want a woman, but her happiness was at the top of the list.

Setting the dishes on the table, Steve turned back to the kitchen to go grab the garlic bread as Evangeline slid into the seat across from Natasha, which he knew Bucky had left open for her on purpose. He'd chosen to sit at the head of the table, where Sam usually sat, while Natasha sat across from where Steve usually sat.

A smile tilted his lips as he ducked his head and finished getting dinner ready, a happy glow settling in his chest. He'd talk to Evangeline later about what their relationship was and what she wanted. For right now, he'd enjoy knowing that, at least on some level, she liked him in return.


	35. Girl Talk

**TRIGGER WARNING: Non-graphic rape reference and talk about sex.**

 **Hey everyone! I'm back! Sorry it took longer than I thought it would, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter, can't wait to hear what you all have to say.**

 **Chapters will start being posted again, sorry for the wait! Enjoy!**

Eve was curled up on the floor, watching as Natasha beat a punching bag with vicious intent. It was late, probably after ten, but she couldn't convince herself to go upstairs yet. Steve had just gone up to take a shower and James had left a long time ago without a word to any of them. Sam had come home and promptly been dragged away by Natasha, who had probably collected her hundred dollars from him without waiting for him to comprehend what was going on.

"Okay, not that I don't enjoy talking to you about mindless makeup tips and how I dyed my hair in a matter of twenty minutes without you noticing, should we talk about what's really bothering you or is it going to be another three hours? Because, if it is, I'm going to pull out the widow bites and show you some moves." Natasha turned to Eve and Eve frowned deeply up at the woman. Instead of being deterred, Natasha dropped onto the ground next to her and started stretching, raising an eyebrow in question.

"He kissed me," Eve murmured, eyes finding Natasha's emerald ones.

"Yes, he did. Well, at least, that's what you told me. I came in towards the end and it looked like you two were pretty equal participants by that point." A teasing smirk tilted Natasha's lips up at one corner, but Eve didn't return it. "Look, I know what you're going to say and please, don't. You have nothing to worry about with Steve. He's not going to turn around and not talk to you, he's not going to say it was a mistake, and he's not going to want to have sex and then leave. He wouldn't do that to you. I know I make fun of him a lot, but he really is one of the most virtuous men I've ever met. And that's saying something- I've met a lot of men in my day."

"What am I supposed to do tonight? We've been sharing a room because my nightmares are better if he's there and his are too, but it's weird. To go back in there when we've kissed. I don't want to give him the wrong idea. I like him. A lot. But… I've never actually…" Eve trailed off, looking away nervously.

"What? You've never had sex?" Natasha asked, looking surprised and slightly horrified by the idea. Eve shook her head, nibbling on her bottom lip as she thought through her next answer. The best way to explain it without angering her friend.

"Not when I've wanted to," Eve kept her voice low, just in case. It wasn't something she broadcasted and it wasn't made into a big deal by her file, but it wasn't something that Eve would forget anytime soon. She endeavored not to remember that particular torture method, but it wasn't like she could just shake it off either.

"Those bastards…" Natasha took Eve's hand in hers, the calluses brushing against Eve's soft skin. It was definitely a comfort to have her there. Natasha might have been one of the most dangerous people in the world, but she cared, and that was all Eve could really ask for in that moment. "Okay, well, if you say no, he'll back off. If you're not ready for that kind of contact, just tell Steve. He'll listen. I'm going to warn you now, though, tell him before you get to that point. Because I don't know what he'll do when he finds out they violated you like that. He's overprotective anyway, but it's almost ten times worse when it's you."

"He won't find anything even if he goes after them. Trust me, Nova was very thorough. And Jas and Alex, her brothers, and Maggie, her older sister, were all specialists. Her mom, Mama Mags, was too. They were on the team that got me out originally and they went after the ones that got away. Trust me, everyone who even looked at me funny is six feet under by now," Eve promised, taking her hand back so that Natasha could finish stretching out after her workout session. Sweat stuck the loose hair from her ponytail to her cheeks, the damp blonde strands curling as they fell.

"You call her mom 'Mama Mags'?" Natasha raised her eyebrows, obviously changing the subject. Eve was thankful. Talking about what had happened with HYDRA left her mentally exhausted. Just pushing the memories away so that she didn't go into a panic attack at the thought was much more of an effort than anyone seemed to realize.

"When I was seventeen, we moved into the Sci Ops dorms. My sister Elise and I. I was accepted into the communications program and they offered Elise a place as well when I refused to leave her in foster care. Technically, I was legally emancipated and SHIELD took over legal custody of Elise until I turned eighteen and they could transfer it to me. Nova shared a room with us after we moved in and we became really good friends. When she found out Elise and I were going to stay at the dorm for the breaks, she asked her parents if she could bring us home with her and they agreed. Her parents took us in when we had nowhere to go and they've been there for us ever since. Elise is with them right now. They're more of a family to me than my own." Eve felt herself smile at the thought of Nova's family. Her brothers, her sister, her parents, her nieces and nephew, even her grandparents.

"Have you told Steve about that?" Natasha asked seriously. Eve frowned.

"About what?"

"About Nova being Timothy Dugan's granddaughter." Natasha raised an eyebrow when Eve blinked in surprise. "What? You thought I didn't look her up too? I looked you up. And she's your best friend. Yes, even that's in your file. And Nova is related to one of the Howling Commandoes, something Steve would probably be interested in. Especially considering Timothy Dugan is still alive."

"I haven't. I didn't even think about it really. Back when I started working with him, we were given the order not to tell him about the Dugan family," Eve explained slowly, thinking rapidly. She'd been ordered by Director Fury himself not to say anything about the Howling Commandoes to Steve. She wasn't supposed to let him know anything. Not that Nova was related to them, not that Grandpa Dugan was like a grandfather to her, not that he was still alive. She wasn't even supposed to mention World War II in Steve's presence.

"You should tell him. I bet he'd be interested to meet her," Natasha offered.

Eve nibbled on her bottom lip, staring down at the mat as her mind turned. Telling him would have to happen before they decided to be in a relationship. If that was what Steve wanted. She was kind of getting ahead of herself there. He could have just kissed her because she was there and she was a woman and he was bored or horny or curious. Those were all reasons men had kissed her before and it was possible he felt the same. But she couldn't have the relationship talk with him if she was keeping something so terribly huge from him.

It was ridiculous of her not to think of that. But the Dugan/Maddox clan was such a huge part of her life that they didn't seem like legends. That was technically what they were. Nova was a legacy, part of a family that had helped set SHIELD up. She was in contact with a bunch of other legacies too. It was why she was close to Tony Stark, who was like a favorite uncle of hers. He'd been invited to all Dugan family get-togethers. He was the one to buy Nova her first tool kit. And he never stopped.

Eve had met Tony Stark numerous times, but not because she worked for Stark Industries now. She'd met him through Nova many times. He was aloof and rarely spoke more than two words to her, but he'd gotten the best doctors in the world to save her life and he'd handpicked the lawyers that had represented her at her SHIELD trial after she'd gotten home. They weren't friends, but she had a feeling he thought of her as as much of a part of the family as anyone else in the clan.

If she didn't tell Steve, Tony probably would. He was a loudmouth and, while Nova was close to him and loved him, Eve had a hard time trusting him with any sensitive data. She knew he wouldn't do stupid things on purpose, but, for a genius, he wasn't always very smart.

"Don't think like that. He's not going to get mad or anything. You'd be amazed what that man can forgive," Natasha broke into her thoughts, standing up. "Now, I'm taking you upstairs and you're going to go to bed. In Steve's room. Because you're not walking away from this until you're absolutely, one hundred percent sure what's going on. I'm not letting you walk away."

Natasha held a hand out to help Eve up and she stared at it for a moment, wondering if she was really strong enough to show up in Steve's room again. After everything, she still had a lot to tell him. A lot of baggage that no one else could handle. It wasn't fair to ask him to.

Slowly, Eve took Natasha's hand when the look on her face darkened just slightly, eyes narrowing down at her.

"Stop thinking insecure thoughts. You're smart, gorgeous, and Captain-fucking-America kissed you today. You should be flying on cloud nine, not doubting yourself," Natasha shook her head, huffing out a breath as they started up the stairs.

"There's a lot to doubt," Eve informed the other woman, who snorted derisively.

"I'm going to keep saying it until you believe me. Whoever the hell told you you aren't good enough is a jackass and a liar. You deserve to be loved and wanted and with Steve Rogers. And, in case you've forgotten, you have me now. If he so much as steps a toe out of line, I can promise that he won't walk right for a week. I'd take him out longer, but we kind of need him. He's the only one who can keep Stark in line and I don't want to deal with another crazy robot bent on destroying the world if I can help it." Natasha grinned, her smile predatory. "That doesn't mean that I won't hurt him if he hurts you, though."

"I don't want you to hurt him," Eve quickly answered, knowing that Natasha would do it. Violence was her answer to almost everything. That or shopping. Natasha did a surprising amount of shopping. And she was great at finding things that would fit and look good, which Eve was slightly jealous of.

"Of course you don't. Now. But some day, when you change your mind, I'll be waiting," Natasha shrugged, like it was a forgone conclusion. Eve was actually a little worried about Steve for a moment, wondering how long Natasha had been waiting for the chance to fight him seriously. If she got ahold of him, she would do damage. That was what Natasha was best at. She was a spy and an assassin. A world class assassin. And Eve knew that Steve wouldn't fight her off. He'd be worried about hurting her and Natasha didn't have moral hang-ups. Eve could only hope that Natasha cared about her enough not to kill her immediately if someone like Nick Fury told her to.

"I'll let you know," Eve decided to lie instead of reminding her that she would never put a hit out on Steve. It didn't matter if he didn't care about her as much as she cared about him. She still cared about him and wanted him happy and safe. Which meant not letting Natasha beat the shit out of him.

"Sure you will."


	36. The Howling Commando

**Hello everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews and comments, there was a surprising amount last update and I loved reading your reactions to the story! Let me know what you think about this one too! As always, if there are any questions, feel free to ask away. To those of you who just got here, welcome. Hope you're enjoying it so far. To those who are sticking with it, thank you so much!**

Slowly, Eve opened the door to the bedroom, slipping in like she'd done every night since the first time she'd ended up in bed in Steve's room. He was there, waiting, his head coming up with a soft smile when he saw her, the book open in front of him laid down on his lap as she took a few steps closer, eyeing him. He looked relaxed and inviting, not like he was about to kick her out or anything, which she had been worried about since the first time she'd asked to stay with him. It wasn't that she didn't think that Steve liked having her there- he seemed to sleep better as well- but a woman staying in a man's bedroom out of wedlock wasn't considered respectable back when he grew up. Then again, he'd had a serious girlfriend in this era already.

Sharon Carter wasn't someone that Eve liked to think about. They'd met multiple times. Sharon was Peggy's grand-niece and they'd ended up at a few of the Dugan family gatherings over the years, but Sharon was everything Eve wasn't. Beautiful, tall, statuesque, blonde. And she didn't have a scar in sight. She probably had a few, somewhere, but they weren't as extensive as Eve's scars. Not only that, but Sharon was a specialist. She was the solution to the problems that Eve found. How Steve could go from dating someone like Sharon Carter to liking someone like Eve, she had no idea.

Keeping her mouth shut over her insecurities, Eve crawled into the bed, over Steve's legs. He held still for her, waiting until she was tucked under the covers to put his book on the side table and turn out the lights. She had a feeling he wasn't really ready to go to sleep, but it didn't matter. It was easier to talk if he couldn't see her face. If he said it was a mistake or that he hadn't meant anything by kissing her, it was easier to hide her disappointment if he couldn't see her.

"How was the rest of Natasha's session?" Steve asked in opening. She could feel him laying back, tucking his hands behind his head while Eve rolled to look at him, curling up on her side so that her knees just brushed his side. Having him within touching distance was comforting and Eve felt a little more in control with him right there.

"She mentioned something I hadn't really thought about," Eve started. She could practically feel Steve's attention centering on her and she wished she hadn't said anything. Now she had to tell him about Nova. About the Dugans. "You know my friend, Nova, right? She works as my assistant communications specialist?"

"Yes, you've talked about her before. It's hard to forget her; she's really loud," Steve informed her. Eve smiled a little. Being loud was the only way that someone could be heard over the sound of the rest of her family.

"She grew up in a big family. If she wasn't loud, she got lost in the chaos. Anyway, I'm really close with her family. Her parents have done a lot for Elise and I and the rest of the family just kind of adopted us into the fold after they met us," Eve explained, trying to figure out the best way to bring this up. It wasn't that she'd been lying to him, per se. She'd just been withholding information. That she hadn't even really known that she had.

"That's really great of them," Steve offered. He sounded sincere, though a little unsure. Obviously, he was wondering why she was telling him about Nova now, when there were more important things to worry about. Soon, he wouldn't be thinking about their kiss either.

"Her mom, Mama Mags, married Gregory Maddox, who was a SHIELD engineer. That's where Nova gets her tech knowledge from- well, partly. Mags was a SHIELD specialist. I told you Nova was a legacy. Well, her mom was too," Eve continued. She heard a rustle and assumed that he'd turned his head to look at her, contemplating this.

"Does that mean that Nova's grandparents were around when SHIELD was created?" His interest was definitely peaked.

"Nova's grandfather is Timothy Dugan," Eve finally spit it out, nibbling on her bottom lip as she waited for a reaction. She blinked rapidly when the light suddenly came on, blinding her for a moment.

"Dum Dum Dugan?" Steve asked, turning to look at her, his eyes wide.

"Yes. The Howling Commando," Eve nodded, still chewing on her bottom lip nervously. He didn't look upset, his lips pulled into a small frown and a wrinkle appearing between his eyebrows as he thought this over quickly. "Steve. He's alive."

"Nick Fury said that my old team was dead," Steve bit out, his jaw clenching rapidly.

"When I started working with you, I was brought into Nick's office in the Triskelion and told that I wasn't allowed to let you know any information about your old team. That you couldn't know Nova is a Dugan. He told us that telling you would put back your recovery. I've known them all for so long, it never crossed my mind after SHIELD fell. I would have told you sooner, but I honestly didn't think of it. They're just family to me," Eve explained quickly, not wanting him to think she'd kept Grandpa Dugan from him on purpose.

"You're on a first name basis with Nick Fury?" Steve raised an eyebrow at her and she almost flinched when his expression changed just slightly. Guarding himself. From her.

"It comes with working closely with Maria. He trusts me enough to let me work with his high profile agents and we had a lot of meetings before SHIELD fell," Eve informed Steve, pushing up into a sitting position. Steve was on the edge of the bed, looking ready to run at a moment's notice. Instead of moving closer, Eve curled up where she sat, wrapping her own arms around her waist. If this was going to be the end of their relationship, or whatever their friendship counted as, she wanted to be able to catch the pieces when they fell.

"Do you trust him?" It seemed like a loaded question, though Eve wasn't quite sure what the right answer was. So she gave the honest one.

"Nick Fury is a lot of things. He's a great colonel, was a kickass director of SHIELD, and honestly wants to make the world a better, safer place. He gave me a place to live when I was seventeen and had no one in the world and he helped me get custody of Elise. He also faked his death, knowingly left me with HYDRA, and has since avoided contacting me, even though he's had multiple opportunities. I trust that he wants to take down HYDRA and I trust that he cares about world security and wants to keep people safe. But if it was between me and someone like Natasha or me and a boat full of people, I'm smart enough to realize that he wouldn't choose me." It was something she'd thought about a lot in her time at SHIELD. She'd made her peace with her place a long time ago. Her worth was measured by how well she could keep her mouth shut and how efficient her work was. Nick knew she wouldn't tell anyone the information she held and he had left her with HYDRA because of that. But that didn't mean she could just forgive him. When she'd thought he was dead, it wasn't so bad. Now, she wondered if he would have ever gotten her out.

"Honestly, his version of world security isn't the same as mine." Steve rubbed a hand through his hair, sighing as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders once again. Eve twisted her fingers into her tank top so she wouldn't reach out to touch him.

"After HYDRA, I don't think anyone likes the idea of world security," Eve shrugged a little, scrunching up her nose. She hadn't been privy to Project: INSIGHT, but it was obviously a very terrible idea. And she could have told him that long before he'd built them if he'd told her what he was planning. Yet another chink in the armor that had crumbled under the weight of everything Nick had done.

"They should have never recruited HYDRA scientists into SHIELD," Steve shook his head and Eve had to agree. It wasn't their greatest idea ever. Recruiting crazy Nazi scientists who craved world domination probably wasn't the wisest decision when they were about to hand them the tools to create that world domination scheme. It was luck alone that Steve had figured it out before the helicarriers came online. Eve would have been one of the many who died that day. Most of the people she knew would have been dead too.

"Mistakes were made. That wasn't their intention and you know it. Grandpa Dugan would be on the front lines if he could be. Or if they'd let him out of the house long enough for him to sneak away…" Eve offered. Steve turned slightly to be able to see her and Eve met his curious gaze, concern melting through her.

He had a look in his eyes that she couldn't name. Heavy and tired, as if he'd been in the world far too long. For someone who was only technically in his early thirties, it was a terrible thing to see. She'd seen Grandpa Dugan with the same look in his eye and he was ninety seven. It seemed more at home in his eyes than in Steve's. He just looked so tired suddenly. Like he could lay down and never get up. Like maybe he wanted to.

"How is he?" Steve finally asked.

"Grandpa Dugan? He's great. Still just as excitable as any of his grandchildren. Honestly, he has more energy than I do most of the time. His days of building bombs are past, but that's mostly because Mama Mags put a stop to it when he almost blew himself up a few years back. The shed was in pieces, but he was out in the yard laughing when Mags got outside. Lost his eyebrows and a hearing aid, but the rest of him was intact, thank god," Eve smiled at the memory of Nova answering that phone call. She'd asked how he'd made the bomb and gotten her own lecture about Grandpa Dugan being too old to blow shit up anymore. Eve had a sneaking suspicion that Nova was still smuggling him materials. They were just better at keeping it secret now.

"He had a good life?" Steve prompted. Eve slowly uncurled herself just enough to reach out and take his hand, his warmth sneaking into her fingers.

"He married a woman named Angela Cartinelli, a friend of Peggy Carter's. Both Grandma Angie and Grandpa Dugan worked at SHIELD as some of the first agents after Grandpa Dugan came home from Europe and the Howling Commandos retired to the States. They actually met in SHIELD. Married in his early thirties and had children soon after. Grandma Angie retired from SHIELD to take care of the kids and Grandpa Dugan worked as a specialist, or whatever they called it back then, for almost ten years before he retired to building bombs for a living. He built a lot of SHIELD tech that we still use today. His oldest son died on a SHIELD mission in his early twenties and he had a daughter that died right after she was born. They named her Angie too. Mags is actually named after Peggy Carter. So is Maggie, Nova's older sister. Right now, Grandpa Dugan has two children, Mags and Gabriel. They're both married. He's got ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren," Eve recited from memory, dragging up as many of the stories she could remember, trying to figure out what else he'd done in his lifetime. "He's very happy. And was really happy to hear that they found you. Nova went to the stronghold to tell him as soon as she heard."

"He knows?" Steve's head snapped up and Eve nodded, his fingers tightening around hers. She was pretty sure he didn't even know he was doing it, but she didn't mind.

"All of the families that were connected to the Howling Commandos know about you. When you were brought out of the ice, they were notified in case they heard about it later. He was the first to find out, though. He knows about James, too. They were all happy to hear you two were alive." Eve kept the emotions out of it, knowing that it wouldn't help to hear about how Grandpa Dugan had cried when Nova had gone home to inform him that Steve was awake. Eve had been there. It was the first time she'd seen him cry. The last time was when his wife passed away.

"Why didn't they tell me?" Steve demanded, his other fist clenching.

"I don't know. I wasn't let in on that decision. You're mental health was something they never let me have jurisdiction over. I would have told you sooner if I had known that they weren't going to." Eve was tempted to curl up again, but knew he needed support more. Knowing about the Howling Commandos wasn't easy for him. Knowing that they'd known he was alive, known that he was working for SHIELD, and yet still hadn't contacted him probably ate at him just as much as anything else that had happened over the years he was in the ice.

"You'd have gotten in trouble," Steve shook his head at the thought and Eve snorted slightly, freezing when he stared at her like she was crazy.

"What?"

"What was that about?" he asked.

"What? You think I've never gotten into trouble over you before?" At his completely blank look, Eve pursed her lips and stared at him, raising her eyebrows before deciding that maybe telling him how often he'd gotten her into trouble would lighten the mood a little bit. "You, sir, were a pain in my ass the entire time we worked together. It wasn't until after the battle in DC that I stopped getting in trouble every time you decided to go off mission. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I almost got fired because of you multiple times."

"Why would they fire you?" He looked a little horrified by the thought.

"Well, they couldn't fire Captain America, that would be a media fiasco. Not to mention that you're a good public face for SHIELD. At least, you were. If they needed public favor, they'd just throw out that you were working with them and people would fall all over themselves because Captain America couldn't possibly do anything wrong. They forgot to mention that Steve Rogers is a little shit." Eve let her pretend anger fade off her face when he shot her a fairly sheepish grin. "So, if you got into something deep, I was the fall guy. The only reason I wasn't fired immediately was because Maria had me trained to deal with your bullshit. I don't think she anticipated the level of trouble you could get into, but I was trained by the best to be the best. So, she fought the system and made Nick appear with me before the Council whenever you were doing something stupid. Luckily, they were impressed by my technical knowledge and I can spin almost anything to sound pleasant enough to keep my job."

"You went before the World Security Council?" Steve sounded a little upset by that thought. "Wasn't Pierce on that council?"

"Yes. Alexander Pierce was on the Council. But he didn't know my name. Just Seraphim. Nick warned me not to answer to anything else and I didn't. It was easier to let him think I was a codename and not important. He knew I worked with you, but finding me in a SHIELD database is damn near impossible. Obviously, Natasha was able to and James too, I assume, but my files were buried as soon as they went online. Tony Stark and Nova made sure of it," Eve shrugged, not too concerned about Alexander Pierce. She hadn't liked him when they'd met and he hadn't liked her. He wasn't stupid enough to try and fire her, though. It soon became common knowledge that she was the only one that Steve would answer to and they needed Captain America on their side.

"Nova is how you know Tony?" Steve asked, reverting back to their original discussion.

"Tony was at the Dugan house a lot. He was with Peggy a lot too when his dad was busy or not around. Tony is still invited to all the reunions and family dinners and holidays at the Dugan stronghold. Grandpa Dugan, Mama Mags, and Gregory all live in the stronghold now. After Grandma Angie died, Mags didn't want him alone, so they moved back home. That's where Nova and Elise are at now, along with the rest of the Dugan clan. I wouldn't be surprised if Tony went out there soon. Just to make sure everyone is safe." Tony had a habit of showing up when they least expected him. He didn't come to all the family functions (he didn't want to seem like he cared too much) but he made an effort to go at least three times a year to visit everyone. Nova had mentioned he was going more often now that Grandpa Dugan was getting older.

Eve knew how scared he was because she felt it too. They weren't really her family, not by blood, but Grandpa Dugan was one of those people who was a grandpa to everyone. And she loved him, just like she would love her own grandparents if she had any. And losing him would cut the head off of the Dugan clan. She didn't know what she would do when he passed away. She didn't know what any of them would do.

"You didn't have to tell me," Steve suddenly announced, blue eyes finding hers. They were sparkling in the low light and Eve sent him a gentle smile.

"You deserve to know. If you want to visit, I can set it up. They'd be more than happy to have you." Eve didn't include herself in the first plan that spun in her mind. If he wanted to go see his old friend, she would get him there, even if he didn't want her there as well. Tony would fly him out if asked; he wasn't really shy about throwing his money or jets around and he owed Eve for a few times she'd gotten him out of trouble with Maria. Not only that, but he owed Steve so much more.

The second plan, if he did want her to go, was to call Nova and ask if she could set up her room. She wouldn't be surprised if the room was already waiting for her. They'd given her an honorary room in the stronghold during holidays and vacations, keeping it open for her whenever she wanted to come back. Nova would be ecstatic that she was coming home, especially if she was bringing Steve with her.

The third plan involved Natasha and James too, considering she didn't want to just leave them. Not to mention that everyone would be just as excited to see James as well, if he was up for introductions.

"Let me think about it?" he asked, looking down at the bedspread.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready. It'll only take a phone call or two," Eve nodded, knowing that it was a lot to take in. She was surprised when Steve moved suddenly, climbing farther into the bed and pulling her into his chest.

She caught herself before she face planted into him, but he didn't seem deterred as he wrapped an arm around her back and slid his fingers into her hair, just holding her. Eve wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest now that she knew that they were still alright.

Sighing deeply, Eve breathed in deeply and just soaked in his warmth.


	37. Steve's a Sweetie

**And here's the rest of their conversation! Wanted to let everyone know that, considering it's almost Christmas, updates might be a little sporadic. My beta and I are going to try our best, but there's finals and travelling, so we'll see how it goes the next couple weeks. I just want you all to know that the story isn't going to be abandoned anytime soon, even if I am late with an update or two. Thanks for all the comments and reviews, I love to hear from you guys. To everyone taking finals, good luck! Hope you do well!**

 **Let me know what you think! As always, I'm more than happy to answer any questions/comments/concerns. Just let me know!**

Steve pulled away first, eyeing her for a moment, his lips turned down into a frown. It wasn't the most enthusiastic response to her presence, but Eve knew he had a lot to think about. She also knew he was thinking about kissing her, about what it meant. Mostly because Steve was that kind of person. He wouldn't pretend it didn't happen, even if that was easier. And Eve wasn't about to start that conversation, not when she was ninety percent certain it would end in her heart breaking.

"About earlier, in the kitchen…" Steve trailed off, his mission face falling into place. Eve fought the urge to wince, wondering why he felt she was suddenly an obligation. That was one of her worst fears when it came to him. All of this, keeping her safe and helping her get over her own nightmares and, just, all of it, was just because he held a sense of obligation to her. She was honest when she'd told them all, multiple times, that they didn't have to protect her. If anything, she could always go to Nova's family. They were all highly trained operatives and no one that wasn't invited was getting into the Dugan stronghold. It was damn near impossible. Eve and Nova had set up a lot of their more high-tech security measures; she knew the odds of someone getting in there and they weren't high.

There was an awkward moment when Eve didn't take over like he was obviously hoping she would, her lips remaining sealed shut. Partly because she didn't know what the hell to say and partly because she wanted to see how he would end that sentence. Without knowing what she felt on the subject.

"I'm sorry if it was a little abrupt. I know that usually I'd take you out first and then probably kiss you goodnight when dropping you off at your door, but that's not really possible at the moment. If you didn't like it or anything, you can just say so. But I wanted you to know that it wasn't a mistake on my part. Kissing you. I wanted to." Steve paused and Eve just stared at him, her heart stuttering in her chest. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was because he didn't like her like that. He couldn't. He was Steve Rogers, literally the perfect man. And she was Evangeline St. James, the girl with more issues than the New York Times. "And, if you don't want to or you think it was a mistake, I'll respect that. But I want to lay the offer out. I'll be whatever you need right now. But I'd like to be able to try and take you out, if you're interested. I want to be with you. In any way you want. We've done almost everything backwards, but doing it the right way around hasn't really worked out for me that well, so maybe that's for the best."

Steve gave a self-deprecating laugh, looking down at her hands and covering them with one of his own. Eve weaved her fingers through his, tracing the veins on the back of his hand with her fingertip as she thought about what he was saying.

He wanted to be with her. Anyway she wanted him. And she wanted him in every way. He was offering everything she hadn't let herself dream of. A life with him. A place where she felt unerringly safe. Even a home, maybe. She wouldn't have to worry about what happened after they left Sam's house because he wouldn't leave her. At least, not if she didn't want him to, according to that speech. How did she explain that she never wanted him to leave? That he was the only person in the entire world that could make her feel absolutely and truly safe?

"What are you suggesting? Dating? Being in a relationship?" Eve asked, her voice as firm as she could make it in the quiet of the bedroom. His bedroom felt like a different world than the rest of the house. It was like their own little piece of the universe and it was one of her favorite places ever. Right up there with the Dugan stronghold and the Tower.

"Either. Both. If that's what you want." Steve clenched his jaw and glanced up at her through thick lashes. Eve met his gaze steadily, her mind whirling with the possibilities.

Would he feel the same way when they were in the real world? When she went back to being his communication's specialist and he went back to running active missions? Could she seriously date someone who went out and risked their lives on a daily basis? Steve Rogers was a name everyone knew. If they went out in public, she would be in the spotlight. People would talk. And she knew they'd find her lacking. From her scars to her previously unknown status, they would think she wasn't right for him. And they would probably be right.

"What about when we leave here? It could be tomorrow," Eve reminded him. Steve gave her his full attention, eyes sparkling dangerously. His jaw was set and his fingers tightened around hers, callouses brushing against soft skin.

"It could be next week or a month from now. I'll still feel the same way. We'll talk about it. Work it out. If we are going to be in a relationship, it's going to be a partnership. I won't ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You know that, right?" Steve's eyes darkened slightly and Eve squeezed his hand back, her lips just slightly turning up.

"I trust you. I know you wouldn't. But life outside Sam's house is a lot more complicated than it is inside this little bubble. Are you sure you want to be tied to me?" Eve asked, raising her eyebrows in question. Steve's face lit up and a smile bloomed, warm and beautiful. There was something about his smile that pulled her in, that lit up whatever room he was standing in. And not just because he was incredibly handsome, but because there was genuine excitement behind his sparkling eyes and his smile definitely reached them.

"Does that mean you're saying yes?" he shot back, his hand bracing on the bed. "Because I don't care what the outside world thinks. What matters is what you think. Are you sure you want to be tied to me? Technically, I'm old enough to be your grandfather."

"Technically, you could probably be my great-grandfather. If you want to go that far. And I'm being serious. There's a large difference between you, Steve Rogers, superhero extraordinaire, and me, SHIELD agent. Hell, I'm not even a SHIELD agent anymore," Eve reminded him, poking at his stomach to get him to be serious again. Steve caught her hand in his other one, linking their fingers together with that hand as well.

"I'm not a superhero. I work on a team of people with talents that are useful when taking on the evils of the world. I make mistakes, just like everyone else. I got myself frozen in ice for seventy years," Steve reminded her, as if she would forget that fact.

"Yeah, saving the world."

"I was in the Army. My job was to stop the plane and I did what I was ordered to do. That doesn't make me a hero, it makes me a soldier. And, if you'll have me, I'll try not to get frozen again," Steve promised, squeezing both of her hands this time. Eve shot him an unamused look, knowing that he was harder to convince than even Tony Stark. Steve didn't see himself as a hero, even if he undoubtedly was one. There were full chapters in history attesting to that fact, chapters he dutifully ignored whenever it suited him.

"Were you planning on getting frozen again if I said no?" Eve quipped, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you never know. But, if you're saying yes, I'll put those plans off." He thought he was hilarious.

"I can't believe I'm saying yes. You're a pain in the ass," Eve huffed while Steve was already wrapping her in his arms, a deep chuckle reverberating through his chest. Eve grumbled as he pressed his lips into her hair, squeezing her tightly against him. After a moment of pretending to be upset, Eve wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back, hoping she hadn't made a mistake. Then again, if anyone was going to treat her right, it was Steve Rogers. Even without his Captain America alter-ego, he was the most polite, chivalrous man she knew.

"I may be a pain in the ass, but now I'm _your_ pain in the ass," Steve teased, pulling back to grin at her like he'd won the lottery.

"What am I getting myself into?" Eve teased, smiling up at him and just admiring him in general. Steve was built like a linebacker with big shoulders and narrow hips, a few inches over six feet. He was made with strength in mind, which was probably what the scientists were going for when they'd concocted their serum. It didn't look out of place in the least on him, though. There was nothing overly bulky. He was all rippling muscle and warm skin.

"Honestly, probably trouble." He shrugged a little, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. His fingertips brushed the shell of her ear and he ran them down the soft skin of her neck before pulling back. Eve shivered a little at the contact, knowing now that it was a hundred percent romantic intent. Any other time, she could talk herself out of it, but it was obvious what he was going for this time.

"At least you're being honest," Eve sighed, dropping back onto the bed and staring up at him. He turned out the light and joined her laying down, pulling her into him as he did. She'd noticed he laid on his back almost all the time when he slept. Neither of them had been shy about touching one another and Eve was apt to curl into him just to leech off his unnatural heat. Honestly, it was kind of surprising that her being in his bed didn't give him nightmares. Her fingers and toes were usually cold enough to count as popsicles and he hated cold things with good reason. But he'd never complained when she tucked her hands against his stomach and her toes against his calves, hiding from the chill in the air.

"Always." Steve wrapped an arm around her and Eve curled into him, tangling her fingers in his tee shirt. He dragged his fingers up and down her arm as she got comfortable. His pointer finger traced over a deep scar on her upper arm, feeling out the bumps and scars that accompanied her body. He didn't pull away or make a disgusted noise, instead simply moving on to the next scar he could find, tracing that one out as well.

Eve set her head on his shoulder and kicked one of her own legs over his, tucking it between his legs to gain heat. Steve moved to accommodate, letting her get comfortable without a word.

Steve tucked the blankets around both of them, making sure she was covered fully. Considering how close they were, it would be ridiculous if the blankets couldn't cover the both of them, but Steve wasn't quite as cold as she was and he used less blankets than she did on a regular basis. So he tucked her into some extra covers, not seeming the least bit annoyed that she was stealing almost all of his covers and half his bed. And his body heat, if they were being honest.

"You really think we could make it as a couple?" Eve asked quietly a moment later, glad that she couldn't see his face in the dark. His hold around her tightened and Eve fisted her hand in his tee shirt, not wanting to let the small amount of comfort go.

"I told you. If we're together, this is a partnership. We both have equal power and we both make the decisions. And I think we have a shot at making it, yeah. And, even if we don't, that doesn't mean I'm going to just disappear one day. You're still important to me and you're still my best coms. No matter what happens here," Steve promised, pressing his lips into her hair again. Eve snuggled into him, gripping him just a little tighter against her.

"Goodnight, Steve," Eve sighed, letting the tension go. Tomorrow was going to be anxiety inducing enough.

"Night, doll."


	38. BFFs

**Hello, hello, everybody! It's been a while! I hope everyone's holidays went well! I'll be back to posting as often as I can, so keep looking for updates! We get to meet Nova in this chapter and the more exciting bits (what I think are exciting anyway) are coming up fast! Stay tuned! Let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns!**

 **(If this is your first time reading this story or you noticed, which probably everyone has, I apologize for the abysmal spelling and grammar mistakes in the first, like, half. I didn't get my beta until later, so it's totally not her fault and all mine. Thanks for sticking with it anyway!)**

 **Shout out to my beta, lunar mischief, for putting up with all my chapters and me being annoying! You're great and I appreciate the help!**

 **Okay, here's the story:**

"You're dating Captain America?!" Nova shrieked, the screen bobbing and dipping as she jumped to her feet and started pacing her room, the image wavering on the tablet she was using to talk to Eve. Her red hair was yanked back into a ponytail that looked to be held together with a rubber band and a screw driver, the waves bouncing as she hopped around. Loose strands fell in her eyes and she blew them away impatiently, a splash of brown grease covering the freckles on her cheekbone. Eve shook her head at her friend's enthusiasm, having guessed that she would be excited. Steve wasn't her favorite Howling Commando, but he was on the list of them and Grandpa Dugan told some great stories about Steve from back in the war. Most of the kids in her family were in love with the very idea of Steve and it wasn't a surprise that Nova was over the moon about her current relationship status.

"I don't know if I'd call it dating. More like in a relationship. I don't know; he introduced it as 'going steady'." Eve shook her head a little, a small smile peeking through when she thought about Steve that morning. They'd decided to tell Natasha, Sam, and James, none of whom acted the least bit surprised. Sam collected twenty bucks from each of them with a self-satisfied grin and Eve had groaned aloud on seeing more money change hands. She was beginning to learn that they would bet on just about anything if they thought it was interesting enough. And her love life, or lack thereof at the time, had caught their interest.

"That's basically boyfriend/girlfriend talk from the forties, if I'm getting my slang right. Anyway, not important. What's important is, when are you going to tap that? Because I want every detail. I bet he's delicious." Nova wiggled her eyebrows and Eve laughed, shaking her head at her best friend's antics. It had been the right decision to link to Nova, as Eve knew it would be. Nova wouldn't ask the hard questions until after she was done getting used to the idea. And she'd give Eve time to digest everything as well.

"Nova, you know I don't jump into bed with people," Eve reminded her, holding in the urge to point out that she'd never jumped into bed with anyone before. Nova was very, very aware of that fact.

"How am I supposed to live vicariously through you if you won't tap all that? I'm stuck in the stronghold with family, the most boring place on the planet to be. All available men are related to me, which is just disgusting. Not only that, but no one is the least bit interested in the specs I drew up for that miniature arc reactor Tony put me on. I mean, what the hell?" Nova complained good-naturedly.

"You aren't supposed to live vicariously through me. If one of us was going to live vicariously through the other, it would be me through you - you do more than I ever do. And I didn't know you were working on anything with Tony right now. Isn't he supposed to be in, like, Malibu or something?" Eve asked as the tablet swung again, the kaleidoscope of Nova's room blurring past.

Room was a very vague description of the mess of parts Nova had spread in what was supposed to be her bedroom. There was a bed shoved into one corner, half the area covered in specs while the other half was a crumple of blankets that she slept in. One entire wall had been built into a work bench for her to keep her projects while she was in the stronghold. Over the top of the work bench, she had her tools spread along the wall. Some of the things she had to stand on the top of the counter to get at, but they all had a specific place that they stayed in.

The closet was a pull-out weapon's cache, all custom built by Nova. Her clothes were in an armoire that stood at the end of the bed, out of the way. Most of her clothing was grease stained and perfect for a work room, fitted tee shirts and jeans making up the majority of her wardrobe. She had more than one pair of overalls, one of which she was currently dressed in, and only about two dresses to wear to her family get-togethers. Even her shoes, which were thrown in the corner by the looks of things, were practical and full of stains from various projects and explosions, depending on the pair.

On the floor, Nova had what looked like a miniature model of a much larger building going on, a tarp protecting the hard wood from the harsh chemicals she was no doubt putting into used. Honestly, the room looked like a mad scientist's lair and smelled like a garage. All oil and metal. Nova loved it.

"He called me a few days ago and asked if I could look at the plans his company drew up. Without me there, it went to hell in a handbasket. The specs are off by at least an eighth of a millimeter in some crucial spots and the plans they had would have blown them up, first go. Even JARVIS could have put it together better. Hell, you probably could have." Nova waved a hand at the screen as she set it up on her bench, propping it against the wall.

"Thanks, you make me feel so smart," Eve replied sarcastically, wrinkling her nose at her own computer screen.

"You are smart. Genius. Just not at mechanics or bio engineering. Thank god. You and the Captain would get into so much trouble if you could provide him with advanced weaponry. Honestly, that would be a disaster in the making. Anyway, not the point. The point is, I want to know everything. How did this happen?" Nova demanded, a wrench clanking as she started messing with something that looked like it belonged in a car. A set of notebooks were shoved on the corner of her workbench and a pencil was in the pocket of her overalls, waiting to be used for her next great idea. Apparently, fixing the car part wasn't all she had planned for the day.

"I already told you everything." Eve lied. She might have forgone mentioning the part of the story where they kissed. But that was better to say face to face.

"I think you're keeping something from me, girly. It better not be too important or I will come over there just to kick you in the ass. Oh, by the way, Elise says hi. She's training with Jas right now, but she wanted me to tell you. Something about sisterly loyalty or some shit. Honestly, I barely listened. Your sister can talk the ear off of anyone. I love her to death, of course I do, she's adorable, but she talks nonstop." Nova sighed deeply and Eve bit back a giggle.

"Wonder where she learned that from?" Eve asked smartly, grinning when Nova shot her the finger.

"You know, I sometimes ask myself why we're friends," Nova teased, a mischievous grin on her lips as she waved the wrench around. "I've come up with only one possible reason that I keep you around."

"That I'm your boss?"

"Tony's technically my boss, so my job's not in any danger anytime soon. I'm his favorite Dugan, you know. Nope, I keep you around because you're solid as a rock. Even when you're being all snarky, I know I can call you if I'm in danger." Nova smiled largely at her and Eve groaned, leaning back in the desk chair and preparing herself for what came next.

"What did you do?"

"I just need you to talk to Grandpa Dugan for me." Nova shook her head like it wasn't a big thing to ask.

"About?"

"Tony wants me back at the Tower. ASAP. The rebuild is done and he's got some things to look into. I've been recruited to help and Grandpa Dugan said no way in hell. Not until HYDRA is gone. I'm not even allowed to go into Tony's lab here, Eve. I'm dying. They're literally trying to suffocate me. Who is the creepy bastard in the background?" Nova cut herself off, cocking her head to the side so that her ponytail fell over one shoulder, puppy dog brown eyes focused on something on her screen Eve couldn't see.

Eve turned around to find that James had made his way to her doorway, eyes on the tablet in her hand like he wasn't quite sure what it did. She knew for a fact he'd seen them before, but maybe he didn't know that you could do video chatting? She had no idea. Either way, Eve waved him in further. He stepped closer slowly and she noticed he had a hand on his knife, watching the screen like Nova might jump out.

If she could, she probably would.

"This is James. James, this is my friend Nova. I told you about her?" Eve waited until James gave an almost imperceptible nod, his dark eyes taking in everything.

"Oh, hey! You're James Barnes, right? Evie mentioned you were staying with them. Is she being good? Is the Captain good for her? Because, if he's not, I'm going to come kick his ass. I mean that literally too. Not only that, but make sure Evie keeps in line. She likes to be stupid and think she doesn't deserve to be happy or whatever and I'm here to make sure that that doesn't take over. So don't let it while I'm not there," Nova rattled off. James was still watching her curiously, like he was trying to figure out what part she played in everything. Eve didn't explain, wondering what he'd come up with. "Anytime you want to stop by, you're more than welcome to, too. You could come with Evie sometime. If you let me look at your arm. I heard it's a marvel of science and I want to replicate it. Not, like, in a bad way. But to make it easier for other vets to be able to afford. Not everyone can get a fancy ass HYDRA model."

"You talk too much," James deadpanned. Nova grinned at the screen, waving her fingers at him.

"I'm aware. I also don't care. It's the downside of working with Tony Stark for a living. He's brilliant, but he doesn't know how to shut the hell up," Nova informed him, her brown eyes sparkling with humor. If there was anyone who could outwit Tony Stark, it was Nova. She had a more refined sarcasm than Tony, who she called her cousin if anyone asked. They were closer than most siblings and worked together fantastically. Most of Nova's siblings were jealous of their relationship, but she didn't care. Eve found it hilarious that Tony had taken Nova as a sort of protégé. They were so much alike that it wasn't really a surprise, but it was still funny to see Tony put in his place by Nova.

"Talking can distract from attacks," James informed Nova in a clipped tone, his interest still held. Whether he liked her or not, Nova had obviously intrigued the assassin. Normally, Eve would be against them becoming friends. James was dangerous in all the ways that Eve didn't want around her best friend, but it was inevitable they meet. Nova was Eve's best friend and James was Steve's best friend. If they were seriously going to be together, those two would meet at some point.

"It can also disarm people, which I am a master at. Now, answer honestly: Are you ever going to get a haircut?" Nova asked, forcing herself into calm.

James turned around and walked out of the room without answering. Nova burst into laughter as soon as he was out of view.

"You know, he needs to lighten up." Nova spun with the tablet and the world blurred again, leaving Eve blinking rapidly to get rid of the sensation. "I thought he was supposed to be the ultimate ladies' man or whatever. At least, according to Grandpa Dugan. Bucky Barnes was supposed to be a smooth motherfucker."

"He isn't Bucky Barnes anymore. Just James. At least, that's what he said I could call him. Honestly, he's kind of fun when he's not in a mood. Today, he's been hiding out in his room, so I wonder what he was in here for," Eve hummed, mind whirring with possibilities.

"James, hm? I like that name. Always have. Anyway, Grandpa Dugan is waiting for you. Better call him up." Nova smiled largely and Eve sighed, wondering just what she was going to do to try and convince Grandpa Dugan to let Nova go back to the Tower. Honestly, she didn't want her there. The Tower still wasn't safe. It had been breached more than once, and it could happen again. And Eve wanted Nova safe. It was easier to sleep at night when Nova and Elise were together and safe.

"I hate you and I hope you know that," Eve sighed deeply.

"You love me and I know it. Thank you so much, call me when you're done." Nova clicked out of their conversation and Eve scrolled until she found Grandpa Dugan. Pulling up a window, Eve connected, not surprised when he answered immediately.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Grandpa Dugan rasped, his white mustache twitching. Eve couldn't hold back a fond smile as she stared at the head of the Dugan clan, his blue eyes twinkling just as lively as they had back in the day. He still had a bowler hat on his head, the same one from the old pictures, and he was every bit the gentleman. Well, when he wasn't causing havoc in the name of boredom. Nova had to get that from somewhere.

"It's great to see you, Grandpa Dugan. I hear Nova wants to go back to the Tower," Eve offered up immediately. Dragging out the conversation wouldn't work well. It was best to be direct with him.

"And she sent in her negotiator. I'm honored that she felt the need to use you to this extent. You realize it's dangerous to go back." It wasn't a question. Eve responded anyway.

"The Tower was breached no less than three times since it was built as the beacon of clean energy before the Battle of New York. Once by alien hoards, once by an army of killer robots, and once by HYDRA. It's not the safe house Tony wanted it to be when he built it and it has a terrible track record at keeping its occupants safe," Eve agreed. Grandpa Dugan opened his mouth to speak, but Eve held up a hand to silence him until she was done. He respected that. "However, Tony Stark would be at Nova's side the entire time. One of the conditions would include moving her into the penthouse, which has the best security as well as access to the Iron Man suits. Which she knows how to use, if it came to that. Tony would never ask her to come back if he wasn't one hundred percent certain of her safety. You know that."

"Tony Stark doesn't see the big picture. Neither does Nova. I'm not sending any of my family into certain death, Evangeline." He stared at her hard, trying to read her next move.

"What if I went back with her?" Eve offered her second choice. The Tower was rebuilt and it was fairly stabilized. If she went back, she could go with Nova. It wasn't the protection he was looking for, but it was something. For some reason, the Dugan family trusted Nova more if Eve was with her.

"And you have a plan to slip your guards?" he asked, obviously aware of the situation she was currently in.

"Part of the negotiations could include them. I don't think I'm slipping them anytime soon. But I can make a good case to go back and they might listen to me," Eve reminded him. She'd worked with all of them for long enough that they would more than likely listen to her if she found a good excuse to go to the Tower. Whether they'd be happy about the arrangement or not was really up in the air.

"Another two weeks at least. And you and your body guards have to go in with her or she's not going," Grandpa Dugan informed her, nodding slightly to affirm his statement. Eve pursed her lips, mind working fast to see if it was feasible. She'd have to convince Steve and Natasha. James would go where they went. But Steve was going to be the pain in her ass, as always. They'd just begun their relationship and she was already asking him to jump into danger with her.

"I'll do what I can. I'll get back to you," Eve promised, nodding her goodbye.

"Stay out of trouble. You're always welcome here if you decide you don't want to go to the Tower," he informed her, smiling. "Be good. Don't let the Captain do anything ridiculous while you two are together. I'm coming out there if I get a message that you're hurt or in any danger. And it won't be good for him, no matter how much I like the man."

"I'll do my best, Grandpa Dugan." They hung up and Eve quickly called Nova back, who huffed about how she wasn't going to get to go back for a little while at least. Eve just listened to her complain, unable to really be upset with her. Honestly, she thought the deal was fair. Another two weeks to find the culprits. That meant figuring out how to find Grant Ward in the next two weeks so that she could have a conversation with him about how he could help SHIELD defeat HYDRA, if he was still willing to help. It was probably in her best interest to let Steve know about her plan, but he wouldn't be happy…


	39. Date Day Pt 1

**TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of murder and slight child abuse.**

 **Hello, hello! Here's another chapter. Thank you for all of the fantastic reviews! I'm going to be posting on a much more regular basis, at least once a week. I love everyone's opinions on Nova, she's totally one of my favorite characters in this story and she's a lot of fun to write. We'll definitely see more of her. There was some sort of glitch in the website this last week and I couldn't see any reviews from anyone. I'm not sure what happened, but it seems to be fixed now. Another member told me she had the same problem, so I didn't get to reply to many reviews this time. Please keep leaving them, though, I love to read them! All right, here we go!**

"Okay, but you don't like the snow," Evangeline reminded him, as if he could ever forget the day he went into the ice. Steve let a wry smile pull at his lips, knowing that she was only hesitating for him. No one else seemed to pay attention to that part of him, yet, here Evangeline was, dressed in a warm, winter jacket and jeans, snow boots on her feet, pulling back from his hold so that he wouldn't have to go out into the cold with her. Even though he could see the longing in her golden eyes as she glanced out the window at the snow that was still visible on the ground.

"I don't like freezing temperatures. Snow is fine. Come on." He pulled gently on her wrist, all too conscious of how easily he could hurt her if he tugged too hard. Evangeline still didn't move an inch, eyebrows pulled in and lips puckered just enough to let him know she was thinking rapidly, her mind working as she tried to figure out whether he was lying or not. "There's not a lot of snow. It's fine. I promise."

"It's still cold. And there's snow." Evangeline wasn't going to let that go. Steve could see Natasha in the background, watching from the living room, where she was waiting for them to leave. Or, more likely, eavesdropping so she could make new bets on their relationship.

He hadn't assumed it would be this hard to get Evangeline to go out with him. Sure, they were just walking down the street to the park, but it was their first official date. If that was what they were going to call it. But it would only count as a date if he could convince her that the weather wasn't actually bothering him. Honestly, he shouldn't have told her about the nightmares and how the cold affected him. Not if it was going to keep her from enjoying it. He knew she loved the snow and, even if he didn't particularly like it, he wanted to go out with her. Besides, it wasn't like an inch of snow was going to kill him.

"Then we'll just have to get hot chocolate," Steve bribed, Eve's eyes running over his face at his expectant look. Finally, she took a step forward. He let his hand slip down her arm to link their fingers together, hers small and soft against his.

"Alright. If you're sure," she finally allowed as he opened the door and pulled her out of the house. He wasn't taking a chance of her digging her heels in again.

"I'm positive," he insisted, shutting the door behind them so that he didn't have to look at Natasha's amused face. He wouldn't be surprised if the spy followed them, but he wasn't going to mention it to Evangeline. If she didn't figure out Natasha's personal brand of protection yet, he wasn't going to be the one to enlighten her. Instead, he tucked her hand into his elbow and started pulling her towards the park, shortening his stride automatically to match hers.

Evangeline stayed quiet for the time being, eyes sliding over the houses around Sam's neighborhood. There wasn't much snow, but it was fairly chilly outside, around forty degrees for the moment. Steve had looked before he'd taken her out, wanting to make sure that she wouldn't freeze on the walk. Her long curls were topped with a black knit cap, keeping them out of her face and behind her shoulders. Her nose was slowly turning bright red as the wind blew lightly, sending cold air directly at them.

"Sam's neighborhood is really nice," Evangeline offered as a BMW drove past them. Steve had to agree. Sam had looked for a neighborhood where the adults weren't home often and the kids were mostly too busy with their own lives to notice if he was home or not. He didn't want anyone noticing who he was and he wanted people to notice if the Avengers showed up even less.

"He picked a good place for a safe house." Technically, it wasn't a safe house. Sam lived in the house they were staying in, when he wasn't training with the Avengers at the ATC. He needed a place to lay low and to go when he was off. Everyone else had a place. Steve had an apartment in Brooklyn, Barton had an apartment building and a farm, Stark had a Malibu house, the Tower, and a few vacation homes around the world, Thor had Asgard and Jane Foster, and Sam had this house.

"Definitely. He even has tactical advantage," Evangeline informed him. Steve wondered briefly if that part of her mind ever turned off. The part that was assessing escape routes and figuring out trajectory angles. He bet she'd make an amazing sniper if she so chose. She was the best communication's specialist he'd ever come up against and she was amazing at planning missions. Much better than anyone else he could think of. And she answered whenever he called, even if he was on Avengers' missions and technically shouldn't have been in contact with her. There wasn't much she wouldn't help him with as Seraphim and he had a feeling she'd be even more open as Evangeline.

"I'm sure that he looked for that as well," Steve agreed, even if he had no idea what Sam looked for in a house. Steve looked for everything. Usually a corner apartment with a lot of possible exits, though not all the exits would work for someone who was normal. He checked for tactical advantage, made sure there wasn't an elevator, and checked the rooftops on his building and surrounding buildings. He made sure that hiding spots were available and that there was a fairly open floorplan, allowing him the ability to see almost any threat before it got to him. It was a long checklist and it took him months to find his current safe houses. He couldn't imagine any of the Avengers being any less thorough.

"Is that where we're going?" Evangeline pointed to the park up ahead on their left, where a few benches waited, empty.

"Yes. Natasha said there's a pond we can go sit by," Steve offered. Evangeline nodded, attention already distracted by the snow and the trees that surrounded the park. Instead of interrupting her thoughts, Steve let her have her moment of quiet, placing his free hand over hers. She glanced up at him with a smile and he smiled back, watching as her attention was once again caught, this time by a squirrel that hadn't gone into hibernation yet.

They found the pond in the back of the park, no one else around. Like Steve, they must have disliked the snow as well. Then again, it was two o'clock in the afternoon. Most people would be at work or the like. It was the perfect time to go out, in Steve's opinion. He liked being able to have places to himself. It was easier to spot an enemy if they were the only ones out there.

Steve led Evangeline to a bench and she dropped onto it without really breaking her gaze at the water, which was still warm enough that it hadn't frozen over.

"Did you like winter before the plane crash?" Evangeline asked, surprising Steve into glancing at her. She was open and curious, not a hint of malice in her features. The question wasn't meant to upset him and Steve didn't take offense, unhooking her so that he could wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side. He let his lips tilt when she rested her head against his shoulder and sighed, curling into him slightly. He could definitely get used to this.

"I've never really liked the cold. Before the plane crash, after the serum, it didn't really bother me. We were working in Europe and the winters there were pretty cold, especially around Russia and Germany. Since my temperature runs hotter than most people, I didn't get cold as quickly. The rest of the Commandoes weren't as lucky, but I didn't mind being in the cold and the snow. Before the serum, I wasn't a big guy. Maybe an inch taller than you. I was sick a lot, so winter always meant bronchitis and pneumonia." Steve shrugged a little, glancing down when Evangeline twisted to be able to see him. She squinted at him and tilted her head sideways, probably trying to imagine what he'd look like before the serum.

"I can't imagine you like that," Evangeline informed him honestly. Steve just hugged her tighter. If she saw him like that, there was a chance she wouldn't have found him attractive. Evangeline was smaller than him before the serum by about an inch, but she was softer, more feminine. He'd been all skin and bones, something most women hadn't found attractive in the least. No matter how much Bucky talked him up.

"You had to have seen the picture in my file," Steve reminded her.

"I saw the pictures in my history book, actually. We had a whole section about you in my public school days and an even more extensive course in Sci Ops. It was an elective I took. That's one of the reasons I was chosen to work with you. I already had a working knowledge of your life before and after the serum. But there weren't many pictures of you. Not when you were older. Just the Army enlistment photo at Camp Lehigh. The rest of the pictures and video reels were from after the serum," She explained. Steve felt a flush of embarrassment, wondering what she knew about him from those courses. "It was really interesting. I took the class with Nova and she had a lot of interesting comments about your new physique after the serum."

"I bet she did." Steve didn't really want to hear them. So long as Evangeline found him attractive, he was alright.

"But they didn't really go into detail about your life before the serum. I mean, I know a little bit. You lived in Brooklyn with your mother, your father was a soldier, and James was with you the entire time, but they didn't talk about you being sick," Evangeline finished. Steve sighed a little. He'd wondered when that would come up. It wasn't that he had a problem talking about it, really. It was more of a dull pain now, a reminder of the life he should have had, the one he left behind.

"I wasn't a healthy kid. My mother worked as a nurse and died when I was nineteen. She raised me on her own. I was sick all the time. Bucky was always there, making sure I didn't do too much and get myself sick. I got in a lot of fights I couldn't win, but I didn't run away either. If you start running, they don't let you stop." Steve rubbed his hand up and down Evangeline's arm, trying to keep her warm as well as calm himself down. Talking about those days made him anxious. With Bucky not remembering most of it, the memories held the tail end of the pain of finding out Bucky was the Winter Soldier. He hadn't remembered Steve at all. And Steve wasn't going to forget that any time soon, no matter that Bucky was slowly starting to remember more and more about his life before HYDRA. "I had a few friends, but they were mostly Bucky's. He was really charismatic back in the day. Most people didn't really see me."

"I can't imagine that." Evangeline took his other hand in hers, tangling her fingers with his. Steve rubbed a thumb over the X on the back of her hand, the now-familiar bumps calming him a little. Would Evangeline have noticed him back then? It was a moot point anyway, but he wondered briefly. He was sure he'd notice her. How couldn't he? Not only was she beautiful and amazing, but he couldn't imagine looking past her. Even when he hadn't known she was Seraphim, he'd recognized she was beautiful.

"I'll have to dig out some pictures later, see if you can recognize me," Steve offered. He kept a few with him, just to remember. Remember his past, where he'd come from. To remember Dr. Erskine, who had believed in him more than anyone in his life. To remember the words Dr. Erskine told him, ringing in his memory as clear as if they'd been said yesterday. 'Not a good soldier, but a good man.'

"I'm not saying I wouldn't recognize you. I just can't imagine people not seeing you." Evangeline looked back out at the pond, nibbling on her bottom lip. She did that a lot when she was thinking, just like pursing her lips and wrinkling her nose. He was learning more and more about her and he found there wasn't much he disliked. The only time her nibbling on her bottom lip bothered him was when she broke skin and there was blood. Seeing her bleeding was definitely on a list of things he never wanted to experience again.

"It was common back in my childhood. What about you?" Steve asked.

"What about me?" Evangeline glanced at him before her attention was caught again, eyes following the snow that blew on the other side of the pond.

"What was your childhood like?" Steve felt her tense under his arm, her eyes falling to their entwined fingers. He got the feeling that that wasn't a welcome question, though he didn't tell her she didn't have to say anything. Her trusting him meant a lot and he had to see how far that trust went. Before he tried to take things any further.

"Well, I grew up in the nineties. A great decade, sorry you missed it. Grunge was a big thing, along with Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. You know about Elise. I have a brother too, Alan. My mom, Jane, my dad, Patrick. My mom died when I was sixteen, right before I joined SHIELD," Evangeline trailed off for a moment and Steve gently squeezed her shoulders, offering silent support for whatever was bothering her. He wasn't quite sure what was wrong, but he was sure something bothered her about her childhood. "Elise and I have always been close. She's a great kid. Beautiful, smart, talented. She's a lot like our mom. Our mom was the best woman I've ever known. Right up there with Peggy Carter and Mama Mags."

Steve was surprised at the reference to Peggy, wondering how well Evangeline had known the former object of his affection. Peggy had been a great woman, she got that right, but Steve wasn't aware they'd known one another. Evangeline, as much as he knew about her, didn't talk much about her time with SHIELD. Or her past in general.

"My dad wasn't that great. I'm sure Natasha and James both know the story, so I should tell you before they blurt it out." Evangeline sighed a little, her previous smile nowhere to be seen. Steve immediately felt like a dick. He was supposed to be wowing her with a date, not upsetting her. Of course, that went along with doing things backwards. He did everything backwards with Evangeline.

"You don't have to tell me," he informed her, though it felt like a lie. He wanted to know now. But he didn't want to force it. She would tell him when she was ready, he was sure of that.

"No, it's fine. I just don't like talking about it. My dad killed my mom." Okay, that had not been what he was expecting. Steve froze for a moment, mind empty as those words rang between them. Evangeline finally looked up, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "He was never the most stable guy, but I was so sure he loved us. And then he got it into his head that my mom was cheating on him. She wasn't. But he came home one day while Elise and I were at school and stabbed her. Eighteen times. Then he ran. I was the one who found her. I called the police, kept Elise out of the house, and called Alan. There was a huge court case and my dad was charged with first degree murder. He's spending the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for what he did. Elise and I were going to be sent into foster care until SHIELD stepped in. My parents were only children and both sets of grandparents had died by that point. Alan wouldn't take us, so SHIELD took over full custody until I was old enough to adopt Elise."

"I'm sorry. About what happened to you parents," Steve managed. He didn't know if the apology was enough, but he still pulled her in and pressed his lips into her forehead, offering silent support.

"Alan, my brother, went a little insane afterwards. He and my dad were really close. Alan was always getting into trouble anyway, but he started doing drugs heavily and drinking a lot. I got a call my second year at Sci Ops that he'd gotten into a fire fight with a few cops, shot two of them and killed another. He's in a maximum security prison as well on charges of second degree murder, driving under the influence, possession, distribution, and a whole slew of other charges. Neither of them are getting out anytime soon," Evangeline explained. Steve was surprised. She hadn't cried, didn't even sound too upset. If anything, he detected a note of resignation in her tone.

Steve stayed quiet for a moment, staring out at the pond while he contemplated what he should say. Her life before meeting him, before becoming SHIELD, hadn't been perfect. No history was, but hers was harder than most. Suddenly, it didn't surprised him that she'd survived HYDRA. She'd survived a lot of things and he was sure she could survive a lot more if she had to.

"Were you and your brother close?" he finally asked, wondering just how much losing her father and brother wounded her.

"No. He didn't like me because I was born second and took away the attention from him. My mom had always wanted a daughter and she got two after him, something Alan never forgot," she explained slowly, obviously thinking through the answer. "He was nicer to Elise, but they didn't really get along very well either. She was too young to really connect with him and she knows what he did to get put away."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Steve informed her, tightening his fingers around hers.

"It's alright. We all have our crosses to bear." Evangeline seemed to shake the lingering sadness off and gave him a small, sad smile as she did so. Steve's lips tilted in response, the softness he felt around her showing through.

"Some are bigger than others," Steve answered, relieved when she went back to resting her head against his shoulder, her own grip on him tightening. He wasn't sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she'd thought that that story would change how he felt about her. If anything, it made him like her more. Evangeline was strong, he'd always known that, but she'd lived through so much. He was going to protect her. From whatever it was that could hurt her now. She'd had enough hurt in her life. It was about time someone protected her from it.


	40. Date Day Pt 2

**A couple people mentioned that their date wasn't exactly a perfect first date, which is totally true. This is the second half of the date, a little fluff before we get to the heavy stuff. Yeah, Eve's family life kind of sucked, which is why she and her sister were basically taken in by Nova's family. It's a little more insight into her character and I hope you guys enjoyed! I love all the comments and reviews, thanks to everyone who reads. And welcome to everyone new, I hope you like the story. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I love talking to everyone!**

"How the hell did you manage to blow up a mountain?" Eve asked, slightly horrified by Steve's Howling Commando story. Honestly, they were worse than he was, and that was saying something considering how much trouble Steve managed to get himself into on a regular basis. Apparently, his friends were just as bad back in the day.

"It was technically Frenchie and Dum Dum that did it, but it was an accident. They were supposed to blow a hole in the facility that was inside the mountain to destroy one of their machines. Instead, they caused a small avalanche," Steve laughed at the memory, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they walked toward the coffee shop that they'd gone to with Natasha and Sam. Steve had promised hot chocolate and it was obvious he intended to pay up. Which was good, because the air was cold and the warmth would do them both good.

"I can totally see Grandpa Dugan blowing up a mountain on accident," Eve offered, watching Steve's face carefully for any sign of discomfort. She knew he felt old whenever she mentioned that Grandpa Dugan was, well, a grandfather to her, but it didn't feel right to call him anything else.

Steve just nodded with an easy grin, not even seeming to notice. Eve considered that a good thing and let some of the tension run out of her shoulders when she realized he wasn't treating her any differently than he had on their last 'date'. Even though he knew far too much about her now. Most people would be horrified by what had happened with her family, but Steve had patiently listened and offered his support, never asking too many details or demanding explanations. All the things people said that made her feel like she was a victim.

What her father did was terrible; she would never argue that. Sometimes, the pain still resurfaced, the memory of walking into the house to find her mother on the floor in the living room, blood spread along the carpet and the walls…

Most people tended to act like she was somehow personally victimized by her father. Her mother had been victimized. Not her. It wasn't Eve who had been stabbed, it wasn't Eve who had lost her life that day. She felt the loss deeply, under all the layers she'd built around herself, but it made her feel worse when people started to treat her like she was somehow broken, just because her mother was gone and her father was at fault.

Steve wasn't like that. She'd known it, but wasn't positive until after she'd told him and he'd simply told her he was sorry she had lost them. It was a soft, heartfelt apology. Not for what had happened, but for the losses she'd endured. It was such a Steve thing to do that Eve felt a well of affection for him. Afterwards, they'd talked a little and now they were telling stories. It didn't seem to bother him in the least to talk about the Howling Commandoes and their various triumphs. In fact, he seemed to enjoy talking about the old days, back when he was a soldier, not seen as a superhero like he was now.

"He did a lot of blowing things up back in the day. Talk about someone being impulsive. I bet Nova's a lot like him," Steve offered as they got to the door to the coffee shop. He opened it and let her in first, dropping his arm to pull out his wallet.

"Nova is the definition of impulsive most days. And she's definitely one that would blow up something on accident. But they're different too. Nova talks a lot. Like, constantly. Not that I mind, but Grandpa Dugan can be quiet. Nova will talk to the wall if no one is in the room," Eve smiled softly at the thought of her friend while they got in line, the warmth of the coffee shop finally sinking in. "By the way, you know you don't have to always pay for me, right? I do have money."

Steve shot her a look that was borderline horrified. Eve had to purse her lips to keep from laughing, knowing it wouldn't win her any favors.

"This is a date. A date I asked you on. Not only that, but it's a cup of hot chocolate, not a castle. Trust me, I can afford it," Steve shook his head and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to fight him on it. Eve knew he could afford a few cups of hot chocolate. Hell, he could probably actually buy her a castle and not even notice the loss of money. After all the social security and back-pay from the government, Steve had almost as much money as Tony. That didn't change the point, though.

"It's not about if you can afford it. It's about reminding you that you don't have to. I'm not going out with you so you'll buy me things," Eve reminded him gently, knowing that he was just being a gentleman. It was just ingrained in her with society as it was that a woman could pay for a date too. And she wanted to remind him of that, so he didn't think he had to pay every time they went out. Being in his company was definitely enough.

"What if I like buying you things?" Steve asked, his lips quirking into a teasing smile as he pulled her back into his side playfully. He was careful not to tip her over, pressing his lips into her hair.

"Well, if you insist, I've always wanted a pony," she laughed, poking him in the side. Steve laughed too, pulling her up to the counter when it was their turn. He hadn't brought his glasses with him, but the barista barely looked up as they ordered. A young boy, maybe late high school, was behind the counter and held no interest in them, mumbling out the total. Steve handed him a bill and took his change, putting it back neatly in his wallet.

They moved out of the way so that others could order and Steve took her over to a table, the one they'd sat at last time. A perfect view of the door and the windows, allowing him the opportunity to survey everything while they talked. Eve took the seat with her back towards the café automatically, used to it.

"I'll get our drinks," Steve grinned at her before going back to the counter to await their order.

Eve took the time to admire him. There were rarely times when she could just look at Steve and appreciate him. Natasha was always sniggering in a corner or James was sitting with them or Sam was close by. It was nice to have a moment to really see him.

Steve was hot. There was no way around it. He was a gorgeous specimen of a man. For their date, he'd put on nice jeans that hugged his strong legs and a pair of motorcycle boots. She knew he was wearing a blue dress shirt under his coat, which was his brown leather jacket. He didn't seem to go anywhere without his leather jacket. On his head was a blue knit hat with a white star, the one that Natasha had gotten him at the store when they'd went. He had leather gloves tucked into his back pocket and he looked really good.

Honestly, Eve had no idea why he'd chosen to go out with her, of all people. She'd said it before and probably would again: he was legitimately perfect. Everything about him was ideal. And she was so broken that, some days, it felt like she couldn't even take a breath in. Yet, Steve had chosen her. He could have picked anyone in the world to go out to coffee with, to sit with and laugh, and he'd chosen her.

For that, she would always be grateful, even if the relationship didn't turn out the way either of them hoped, even if they eventually broke up. At least for the rest of her life, she could say that Steve Rogers had taken her on a date.

"What are you smiling at?" Steve asked when he got back to the table, setting her hot chocolate in front of her. Eve wrapped her hands around the cup, shivering a little as the heat slid into her freezing fingers.

"You. What, I can't smile at you now?" Eve teased, tutting at him in faux disappointment.

"You can smile at me whenever you like," Steve informed her factually, reaching out to take her hand across the table. Eve let him have one, taking a cautious sip of her hot chocolate. It was sweet and rich, warm enough to heat up her stomach. It was the first time Eve had ever felt truly happy on a date and she relaxed back into her seat, knowing that Steve wasn't going to disappoint her.


	41. A New Mission

**Ah, the exciting parts are coming up! I am so excited for this! Okay, here's some Nat/Eve time and some lovely picking on Steve, because it's just so much fun to do. Let me know if you have any questions, I'll post more in a few days! Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed! Loves!**

"See, this is why you should pay more attention and look up the guys you're interested in before starting to date them," Natasha teased, pointing at the screen in front of them as Eve laughed, taking in Steve's ridiculous chorus outfit. It was an old film, grainy, the footage jumping and skipping across the screen. A song Natasha had identified as 'The Star Spangled Man' played in the background, the tune catchy enough that Eve hummed along as she watched the women dance across the stage. Their kicks were high and their smiles wide as Steve walked through the line, coming out to start his speech.

He looked different, somehow. Not just younger, but also in his element, as if he actually kind of enjoyed the attention. Which was hilarious considering how he was now. Then again, this was toward the beginning of his time as a national icon, before the stress had gotten to him, before he'd gone to war to fight for his country.

"You are not showing her that!" The shocked voice had Eve flinching while Steve stalked into the room, sending Natasha death glares. "Natasha, do I need to remind you that you are not my mother? Stop showing Evangeline all the embarrassing pictures of me."

"Well that's not very polite," Natasha complained, grinning up at him while Eve sniggered beside her on the couch. On screen, Steve had just finished his speech and punched out a fake Hitler. The camera was angled just right that no one could tell the hit never connected, but it was hilarious all the same. Steve's hair was combed over in true forties fashion and Eve swore that his outfit was made out of some kind of sweater material. It was hard to tell with a film so old, but she was definitely going to make fun of him for it later. "Besides, someone has to show Eve what she's getting herself into here. And who better than me?"

"Anyone," Steve groaned, leaning against the back of the couch to rest a hand on Eve's shoulder while she watched the next clip, which was one of him backstage, getting makeup put on.

"Did they ever teach you how to do that or did the girls just do it for you?" Eve reached up to grab his hand and squeeze gently, glancing up at him with a smile. Steve rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he twisted his hand to hold hers. They linked their fingers while the music on the screen of the computer started up again, Eve humming along.

"You two are so disgusting. It's been three days and you're already an old married couple," Natasha observed with blatant disgust. Eve glanced at her, eyebrows raised in question. "Oh, come on! You don't see it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Eve shrugged as she paused the video to give her friend her full attention. Steve's phone buzzed and he squeezed her hand once before letting go to walk into the kitchen and answer it. Eve turned to watch him go, wondering who it was that was calling him today. He'd gotten a call the day before too, but he hadn't mentioned it again after telling her it was Maria. Whoever it was this time, his shoulders tightened as soon as he answered and he shut the door, blocking her view of him.

"You're that couple that everyone wants to be. Like, holding hands, sitting on the couch watching TV, actually sleeps in the same bed at night instead of having wild, kinky sex. What's the point of a relationship if you aren't getting anything out of it?" Natasha burst out, Eve blinking in surprise. Apparently, Natasha was keeping close track of her love life. It was a little disturbing, but it wasn't actually Natasha's fault. She was trained to pay attention to everything and Eve's love life happened to be in the same vicinity as her. The more disturbing part was that Natasha thought romantic relationships were based on sex.

"I am getting something out of it," Eve reminded her gently, wondering if Natasha had ever been in a relationship that wasn't based on sex or gathering information. They hadn't talked much about Natasha's past, relationships or otherwise. It wasn't something she seemed comfortable talking about and Eve didn't blame her. She knew the basics from Natasha's file, but the files on the Avengers were very sparse. They presented the facts with no real emotions. And Eve had read her own file before too. Knowing the facts and knowing the horrors were two completely different things. "I really like Steve. And being in a relationship reminds me that he likes me back, which I'm still having a hard time believing."

"I don't know how you can doubt that he likes you." Natasha shook her head and took a sip of the water in her hand. They'd been on the couch for a while and it was surprisingly comfortable. Hanging out with Natasha took no effort. That could have been because she adjusted her attitude to fit into whatever scenario she was thrust into, but Eve wasn't complaining. At least, not at the moment.

"Seriously? Steve is the perfect man. Literally," Eve reminded her. "He's the all-American, apple pie guy that women would kill to date. And he wants me? I'm not perfect. So far from it that perfect and I aren't even in the same universe."

"Shouldn't you still be in the glowing stage of a new relationship? All perky and planning your wedding and trying on his last name? By the way, I kind of like Evangeline Rogers. It's got a nice ring to it," Natasha teased, nudging Eve with her toes. "Besides, Steve isn't perfect. You've seen him at damn near his worst and you think that's perfect? I once saw him blow up a HYDRA building with a bunch of people still inside. I don't think that counts as the all-American ideal."

"He does what he has to to keep the country safe. And I made most of those calls," Eve reminded the other woman. "I'm his coms. Those decisions were on me."

"Like hell. We all know that Steve doesn't give two shits about what his coms recommends. And those lives aren't on you," Natasha argued. Eve sighed a little and glanced back at the kitchen, wishing that Steve would come back into the room so that she didn't have to have a long, drawn out conversation about all her faults with Natasha.

"Not only that, but when did you start picking my new last name? Like you said, it hasn't even been a week," Eve skillfully changed the subject, pursing her lips at the other woman, who just grinned.

"I figured I might as well. If I need to find you after you two are married, I want to be ready. Not only that, but Barnes is practically doing the same thing. If he doesn't try and put a tracker on you in the next few days, I'll be surprised. Then again, Barnes has been planning your marriage to Steve for a lot longer than I have. I started when we came here. Barnes started when he volunteered to be your protection detail." Natasha grabbed the laptop and started typing idly, like she hadn't just shocked Eve. Eve's jaw dropped as she tried to figure out what the hell the other woman was saying.

James was planning on her marrying Steve? Why? What did that even mean? And she'd assumed he'd been assigned to her protection detail, not that he'd volunteered. No one had ever really explained it to her, but it didn't really need explaining. Something to get James out of the Tower and into the world… It didn't make sense that he'd volunteer without knowing her in the first place. Except they'd worked together for a long time and he probably looked her up before agreeing to her being the communication's specialist for his missions…

"What does that even-" Eve trailed off when Steve came back into the living room, her eyes automatically seeking him out. What she found wasn't reassuring.

Steve's shoulders were bunched almost to his ears and he was roughly running a hand through his hair. Blue eyes found hers, dark and dangerous as he moved closer and reached out a hand to take hers. Eve offered it willingly, not surprised when his grip was tight, thumb brushing along the scar on the back of her hand. He was ridged, back pushed military straight and his brow furrowed, lips turned down severely.

"Who was it?" Eve asked, instead of prompting him to tell her what was wrong. If he wanted to do that too, she was more than open to knowing what had him so upset. But, that was his choice.

"Barton. He needs help on a mission and was wondering if Nat and I would go in with him," Steve informed her, his voice deeper and more commanding, a tone she affectionately referred to as his 'captain voice'.

Eve tensed at the thought of him going out on a mission, glancing at Natasha to see that she had a message pulled up on the computer. It was from the Hawk, who had obviously felt that Steve would be harder to convince that Natasha judging by his form of communication this time. The only thing on the screen was 'SOS' written in large, black letters. Tugging on a curl, Eve squeezed Steve's hand, wondering if he was going to go. It sure looked like Natasha was going to, from the expectant look on her face.

"It'll only take a few days," Steve informed her. Eve bit into her bottom lip, keeping her objections in. Even if she let them out, she doubted it would change anything. Not only that, but she was aware that he wouldn't change his entire life after deciding to date her. Steve was Captain America. It was a very important part of him. One of the parts she really liked. And he wouldn't stop helping people just because it made her anxious to think of him out there. She'd just have to get used to the idea that he wasn't just her agent, but her boyfriend as well.

"I'll have him send you the mission specs. Maria's already looked at them, I'm sure. But we could still use Seraphim," Natasha added, already typing away. Eve gave her a small smile of thanks, knowing that it was the best Natasha could give her in the way of information about what they would be doing and where they would be going.

"Sam and Bucky will stay here. They'll make sure nothing happens to you," Steve placated, taking Eve's other hand so that she was no longer tugging at her hair. She just shook her head a little, leaning her cheek against their entwined hands.

"I'm not worried about me. I'm not the one who's going to go risk their life. What's the mission?" Eve forced her mind into mission mode, knowing that worrying was useless. She'd seen Steve live through incredible things. Being shot, stabbed, a building collapsing on top of him. He would come back to her. He had to. She wasn't about to accept failure when it came to him. They had an agreement. He was a pain in the ass and she made sure he made it home after every mission. There was no backing out of that, especially not now.

"Barton found another HYDRA outpost in Greenland. He needs our help to get in and clear it out. Natasha's the best at information gathering and he thinks that it might be one of the places Bucky spent some time in, so we need someone to break into the computer bay," Steve explained quickly. "He wants us there by tomorrow morning."

"That's short notice to set up an op." Eve's thoughts immediately turned to how fast she could get maps and what they'd need on the mission itself in the way of equipment. She couldn't know for sure until she got more information, but a list was already forming of possible choices. She'd also need data points and the coordinates to get a better idea of what they were in for. Greenland was seventy five percent ice and it would be cold this time of year. Freezing temperatures. Most SHIELD missions left the ice sheet that covered the majority of Greenland alone. It was a dangerous place to go and no one wanted to risk losing important operatives in such an uncharted place.

"No one is going to ask the obvious question?" Sam walked into the room with a dubious look on his face when they all turned to him. "How the hell did Barton even find this?"

"How does Barton find anything?" Natasha snorted, going back to her computer while Eve glanced at Steve for an explanation. He was the one who had talked to the Hawk and it wasn't like he would ignore that it was an odd thing to figure out. Unless, of course, Maria had sent him the mission. Either Maria or someone else associated with SHIELD, someone that Eve was going to get very annoyed with very quickly.

"He did an op under Hill, found some HYDRA goons, and brought one in to the Boathouse. They interrogated him, turns out HYDRA has outposts at some very remote locations. I don't like it, but it's already been confirmed. He just needs backup and Stark's refusing to go in. Something about ice and snow rusting out the spinning rims on his suits? I have no idea." Steve shook his head, rolling his eyes at Tony's terrible excuse. "Either way, the rest of the Avengers are off the grid. We aren't calling them in just for something that'll take a few hours."

"You sure you don't want me with? My wings can take it," Sam offered. Eve wanted to hug him. Most people would just nod and let Steve go. Sam was a good friend, even if Steve was already shaking his head.

"Thanks for the offer, but we need you here," Steve denied, clapping Sam on the back with a grin.

"We have to get going if we're going to meet him by morning. Nat, suit up." Natasha got off her computer and started upstairs, not looking back even once while Sam started up as well with a mumbled excuse about helping her pack. Eve got up and followed Steve, his hand still in hers as they made their way up to his bedroom. He pulled her in and closed the door, wrapping his arms around her tightly as soon as they were inside.

Eve laid her head against his chest, his heart beating a comforting rhythm in her ear as she wrapped her own arms around his waist. Closing her eyes against the knowledge that he was leaving on a mission that could kill him, she imagined that this was just a normal day. Then again, she wasn't sure when being at Sam's had become normal for her. One day, they would end up leaving. And she was the one who had offered to make that day sooner rather than later.

"Sam and Bucky will protect you. If something happens, we'll meet you at a different safe house. They know the coordinates and have orders not to let you out of their sight. HYDRA won't find you," Steve promised, as if she cared about HYDRA at the moment. Fisting her fingers in his sweater, Eve shook her head against his chest, breathing him in for a moment. Mint and a slight musk that was probably aftershave. So that's what freedom smelled like.

"I'm not worried about HYDRA coming here. I'm worried about you going straight to HYDRA. You've seen what they can do." Eve reminded him, pulling back to look up at Steve from the circle of his arms. Steve tangled his fingers in the ends of her hair, palms large and strong against her back. She leaned into his hands, not worried about falling. He'd never let her fall.

"I'm going in with two master assassins, one of whom is a spy. If anything happens, they'll have my back. Besides, you're going to be with me the whole way, remember?" He tapped his ear with one hand, his other still positioned to hold her up by the small of her back.

"I'll do my best, but satellite coverage isn't guaranteed in that area. I can try and put in a call to Tony, reroute the satellite feed through FRIDAY, but I'll probably need Nova for that. If I get on with her after you guys leave, she should have enough time to get it into place; she has all of Tony's security codes…" Eve was already planning everything, mind whirling with data.

"I trust you. You'll do whatever you can. Now sit down, I have to change." Steve led her to the bed and sat her on it, turning to dig in the closet to get out the Captain America suit.


	42. Heartfelt Goodbyes

**Hello! Here's a new chapter, hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think and, as always, if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. So happy for all the favorites and follows, you guys rock!**

Steve accepted the two guns that Evangeline handed him, her cool fingers brushing against his as he carefully packed the duffel with his suit in it. He'd already changed into his cargo pants and a dark blue Under Armor shirt, his boots laced on his feet, but he couldn't put on the rest of the suit while they were still in Sam's neighborhood. It would look odd enough, him and Natasha leaving on their own. The suit sort of stood out and he wasn't going to put Evangeline in that kind of danger.

It was going to be a lesson in patience to be away from Evangeline. Having her close was calming and it kept his head on straight while staring into a mission that wasn't ideal. They were headed straight into the Greenland Ice Sheet, one of the least explored areas on the planet. He hadn't mentioned it to Evangeline; he didn't want her to know before he had already left. If she asked him to stay, he wasn't sure he'd be able to leave and he knew Barton wouldn't have called if he didn't need his help.

It wasn't very comforting to know that he was going to be on one of the biggest sheets of ice in the world. His heart beat faster just thinking about the possibilities. Very few of his memories that included cold were pleasant. Most of them contained eternal darkness and a terror so potent, it sent a shiver of apprehension up his spine at just the thought.

Showing Evangeline his hesitance wouldn't get him anywhere, however. He'd already said yes. Barton hadn't actually told him the specifics until after he'd agreed, something he'd make sure the other man paid for, but it didn't matter. Steve wasn't about to go back on his word, no matter how much he wanted to. Especially when he'd only been with Evangeline for three days. They were great days, yes, but it wasn't enough. If something happened… He just couldn't think of that.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" Evangeline asked seriously, holding out a packet of SHIELD rations. They were military grade, a lot like the kind they'd used while he had worked with the Howling Commandos. It was something familiar and Steve took them, stuffing them into the duffel bag for later, on the jet, when he could start packing his utility belt.

"Everything will be fine. I'm going out with some of the best agents SHIELD has ever seen. We'll be back in no time," Steve promised, turning to face Evangeline. She was seated on the bed, her long hair a mess around her and her wide golden eyes studying his face intently. Her apprehension was hidden well behind pursed lips, but her nose had crinkled a little and her fingers were tangled in the bottom of her sweater, belying her worry. Steve reached out, taking her hands in his and pulling her up to stand before him.

"Take care of yourself. And each other. I'll do my best to help, but I can't make any promises with how spotty the reception will be with the long range comms," she warned him, her face slightly pale. Steve let her hands go to wrap his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. She was practically vibrating with anxiety, even as she buried her face in his shirt and twisted her fingers in the material tightly. Steve laced his fingers through her curls and cupped the back of her neck in his palm, his other hand wrapped around her to grip her hip tightly. He held her close, dipping down to press his lips into her hair.

If he could freeze time, he'd freeze it in this moment. They were both safe and warm, and HYDRA felt like it belonged on another world altogether. Evangeline was in his arms and he could finally call her his. He'd gotten three great days with her and, in a few moments, he'd have to turn around and walk away. It was his job to do so. But it wouldn't be forever; he wouldn't let it be this time. He'd come back for her. It still felt like he was tearing a piece of his soul out and leaving it in her care. It was only fitting. In such a short amount of time, he'd grown to care for her more than he could have ever imagined.

"Everything will be fine. I promise. I'll be back in a few days." Steve wasn't sure if he was making the promise to her or to himself, but he was damned sure that he was going to keep it. Only death would break that promise and he didn't plan on dying anytime soon.

"You say that, but then you jump out of airplanes without parachutes, blow up cars, and manage to drop buildings on your head," Evangeline reminded him, pressing her cheek into his chest. Steve pet her hair back comfortingly, knowing he only had a short amount of time to say goodbye without Natasha bursting in and ruining the moment. Considering how terrible her timing was, by accident or design he wasn't sure, he needed to make this quick.

"Hey, hey," Steve pulled back and cupped Evangeline's cheeks in his hands, gently tilting her face so he could see her. He crouched slightly to be able to read her expression, a small smile on his lips when her golden eyes found his. "I'm going to come back. We'll kick HYDRA ass and then we'll be on the first plane home, no ifs, ands, or buts. And then you and I can go out to a movie or coffee or dinner, whatever you want."

"This isn't home," Evangeline practically whispered, her voice soft and sad. Steve felt his heart squeeze at the observation, knowing she was right. This wasn't her home. None of this was. Not Sam's house, not this state, not jetting off on missions at a moment's notice. Evangeline lived in a world where he was just an agent she worked with and, at the end of the night, she went home to an apartment that was permanent, not a stop on the way to somewhere else. He couldn't do much to change any of that at the moment, but God, he wanted to. He wanted to fit into her life in a way that wasn't just being an agent on her roster. Fitting into her life here wasn't a problem. But fitting into her life before, when she went back to her apartment and working for SHIELD, that was going to be the hard part.

"It's home right now. Here, in this room, with you. It's my home now," Steve urged her to believe him, staring straight into her eyes with as much sincerity as he could muster. Evangeline bit into her bottom lip and Steve frowned, narrowing his eyes a little when she didn't answer him right away.

"Can… Can I stay in here? In your room while you're gone?" Evangeline's voice wavered just slightly, her cheeks darkening as she waited for his answer. Steve relaxed slightly, his lips turning up into a smile as he brushed his thumbs across her cheeks gently. Her skin was cool against his own warmth.

"Might as well call it _our_ room now. You can stay in here whenever you want. Even if I'm not here. Especially when I'm not here," Steve informed her, wondering if it would be inappropriate to kiss her now. This was the goodbye he needed, the one where he promised to come back to her and she promised to wait for him. Not forever, he would never ask that of anyone, least of all her, but for now. Her, in his arms, laughing with him, that was the closest to perfect he'd come in a long time. And he wanted to experience perfect moments with her. She was well worth it.

"Thank you. For everything." Evangeline reached out, grabbing the front of his shirt in one fist, before tugging him towards her.

She stumbled back a little when he let himself fall into her, but he caught them both on the wall by the bed, her lips already pressing against his hungrily. Steve braced his hands by her head, leaning down to give her better access, sighing out a breath as she started nibbling on his bottom lip, asking permission. With a groan, he opened up to allow her entrance. He kept his weight on one hand as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him.

Steve pulled back a little, his mind stumbling over something she'd skipped noticing while Evangeline nibbled along his jaw, obviously not deterred by his sudden distraction. "What, you don't want to go out when I get home?"

"Last time you promised a date to someone, you got stuck in ice for seventy years," Evangeline teased, biting over his pulse point sharply. His hips jerked in response, warmth burning through his veins. Steve ducked down and caught her mouth with his, drinking her in. The taste of her spurred him on. He'd never kissed a woman who tasted so sweet. Evangeline pulled back, raising a challenging eyebrow. "And, seriously, that's what you're thinking about right now?"

Steve pulled her back in to drag his lips down her neck, nipping and sucking away any pain he inflicted. He picked her up so he could have better access, lifting her off her feet and pressing her back into the wall. Evangeline wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, keeping herself pinned at the right height. Steve grabbed one of her thighs to keep her steady, the other hand wrapping in her hair as he tilted her head back, exposing the long column of her throat.

"Not the only thing," Steve responded against her skin, biting gently down at the junction of her neck and shoulders, pushing her harder into the wall.

"Coffee. You owe me so much coffee. And supper. At least three suppers," Evangeline gasped out. Steve stopped anymore talking, dragging his mouth along her neck. He left open mouthed kisses along her jaw, her cheeks, the tip of her nose. He moved to the corner of her mouth, intent on teasing her, but she turned into it, dragging her tongue along his lower lip tantalizingly. Steve groaned, squeezing her thigh while she tightened her hold on him, dragging her body against his. Warmth pooled in the pit of his stomach, enthralling and equally dangerous.

"I'll get you as much coffee as you want," Steve promised when Evangeline pulled back to glance at him through long, dark lashes, her golden eyes sparkling. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen from his kisses. Steve pulled her back in and kissed her sweetly, slow but no less passionate. He pulled back against, unlatching his fingers from her leg so that he could reach up and cup her face again. His thumbs rubbed along her soft cheeks, his forehead falling to lean against hers. "Hell, I could probably buy you a coffee shop if you want that much."

"I don't want to have to make it myself. Just get me an unlimited gift card from Starbucks or something," Evangeline teased, slightly out of breath. Steve actually seriously considered it as he pressed his lips against hers again, his own lips tilting into a smile when he realized she was grinning now. That was what he wanted to see before he left. Her smile.

"Maybe I will," Steve muttered, staring straight into her eyes. He loved her eyes. Their golden color was definitely on the list of his favorites now. Imagining his life without them, without her, brought a physical pain to his chest. Just the thought of not having Evangeline to talk to, to chastise him, and to bring him back from the brink, was painful. Maybe they hadn't been together long (three days), but he'd known her a lot longer. She was a staple in his life that he desperately needed, even before he'd met her in person. She was what kept him sane.

"And Natasha thinks we're boring," Evangeline sighed, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on his lips. Steve caught a second and a third before his thoughts caught up to him.

"Natasha thinks we're boring?" Steve asked, thoroughly confused. He hadn't had very many conversations with Natasha in the last few days; he'd made sure to spend most of his free time with Evangeline, as it should be. But that didn't mean he'd let Natasha try and dictate their relationship on her level of interest. Most of the best moments he'd had with Evangeline, Natasha hadn't been around for. Like this one.

"She said we're like an old married couple. Told me that she doesn't see the point of a relationship if we aren't having wild, kinky sex. Her words, not mine." Evangeline raised her hands up innocently while Steve narrowed his eyes at her, contemplating this development. It wasn't that he'd never considered wild sex with Evangeline, just the thought brought all of his blood rushing south, but they'd been official for three days. He wasn't about to fuck up this relationship that quickly by pressuring her into something she wasn't ready for. Not only that, but having sex so soon was improper. Maybe not to some people, but Steve was bound and determined to do this right.

"Wild and kinky sex?" Steve raised an eyebrow and Evangeline's cheeks turned a flattering shade of pink. Instead of meeting his gaze, she buried her face in his shoulder.

"We are _not_ having this conversation right now," she tried to convince herself, shaking her head. Steve chuckled, rubbing his hand up and down her back reassuringly. Evangeline grumbled something before Steve shrugged his shoulder gently so she'd straighten up and look at him. Her thighs tightened around his hips fractionally to help her move, enough movement to have Steve clenching his jaw and forcing his thoughts away from anything south of the belt, even if Evangeline had been the one to bring it up.

"Wild and kinky sex can wait until you're ready." Steve pushed wild auburn curls out of Evangeline's face and met her eyes, wanting her to see how completely serious he was. He wasn't going to push that stage of their relationship. Right now, holding her was enough. Their physical relationship could wait until they were both comfortable. Hell, he could wait until marriage if he had to. It wasn't like he had an overwhelming amount of experience with women. Besides, he had no idea what the assholes as HYDRA did to her. It was entirely possible that sex would be completely out of the picture for a very long time. And that was something he would respect one hundred percent.

"I… Thank you," Eve thanked him with the press of a kiss against his lips. Her lips brushed from his lips to his nose, to each cheek, his forehead, even his jawline. Anywhere she could reach, she pressed kisses into. Steve grunted as she took his face in her hands and her cold fingers brushed along the back of his neck, her happy laughter easing the worry in his soul.

They could discuss their relationship later, especially when they were talking about it in a physical sense. He had a feeling that it would be a longer discussion that he'd originally anticipated, but he would need more time to talk to her about that. And to assure her he was ready and willing to wait for her for however long it took.

"Not really sure what I'm interrupting here, but we need to go, Cap." Evangeline paused in her ministrations and Steve glanced at the doorway to see that Natasha was waiting for him, one eyebrow raised skeptically. Evangeline made no move to get down from her spot on his hips and Steve didn't try to put her down, his arm wrapping around her waist possessively. Natasha rolled her eyes dramatically, holding up her arm to check the watch on her wrist. "You have five minutes."

With that, she shut the door and Evangeline pressed her lips into his again, her teeth brushing his bottom lip before sinking in slightly. She swiped away the feeling with her tongue, fingers brushing along his jaw again. Steve opened up and brushed her tongue with his own, drinking her in. He let it go on for a few more, long, minutes, his lips pressed to hers with bruising force. Her nails dragged along his scalp, forcing a shiver up his spine. Steve gripped her hip tightly in one hand, his other pressed into the soft, warm flesh at her waist, where her shirt had ridden up her back. Light bumps and ridges met his fingers, laying out a familiar patchwork quilt of scars along her lower back. It was familiar to him and foreign all at once as he pulled her closer, wanting to absorb whatever he could of her.

"I have an idea." Steve pulled back to speak, Evangeline's body pressing into him while she hugged him as tightly as possible, her arms wrapping around his neck. Steve wrapped his arms around her as well, hugging hard enough that the veins in his forearms stood out in stark relief, his fingers pressing into her soft flesh hard enough to leave behind marks.

He wanted her to have a part of him to hold onto, something that he could give her that she could look at and remember him by. It was something he hadn't done before, but it seemed like as good a time as any to give her just a small piece of himself. God forbid he didn't come back, he wanted her to know that he cared, that he would have if he could. It was important to him. And he knew just what to give her.

Evangeline slowly pulled away after a moment, dropping her legs to stand on her own two feet. Steve let her go, no matter that he didn't want to in the least. He wanted her with him, in his arms. Trusting others to take care of her didn't sit well with him. He trusted Bucky and he trusted Sam, but did he trust them with Evangeline's life in their hands? Did he trust them to keep her safe?

Slowly, Steve moved to the bedside table by the bed, where he'd tucked away some of his important possessions. Pulling open the drawer, he grabbed the chain inside, pulling out his first set of dog tags. They were old, from the forties, and had been frozen with him all that time. The metal was dulled from decades passed, but Steve still turned and held them out to Evangeline.

"You're only supposed to take your dog tags off if you're dead," Evangeline reminded him, slowly holding out her palm to accept his gift. He watched as the two tags with his name and serial number on them fell into her small hand, the chain curling after them. It was something very close to him, something he treasured from his old life. He'd paid for the memento with blood, pain, and life. Now, he was handing them over to someone else. But, if he could trust anyone to keep those dog tags safe, he could trust Evangeline. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't let any harm come to them.

Reaching up, Steve pulled his dog tags out from under his shirt, showing her the new pair he'd gotten after enlisting with SHIELD. They were newer, shinier, and had a microchip that could be tracked to find him if need be. The microchip was a Stark addition, just like the one on the dog tags that he was giving to Evangeline. He'd had that one added so he wouldn't lose the old tags, even if something were to happen where he couldn't get to them.

"I wear the dog tags from SHIELD. Those are the ones I got in the Army in the forties. I kept them after I came out of the ice as a souvenir, of sorts. Will you keep them for me?" Steve asked, even as Evangeline pulled the chain over her head and tucked the tags under her shirt, right over her heart.

"Of course. As long as you come back and get them," Evangeline demanded as he grabbed his loaded duffel bag.

"I always come back for them. I'll come back for you, too." He couldn't hold it in. He'd noticed that Evangeline was slightly standoffish when the others were around, like she thought he wouldn't want to be seen with her around his friends. It was driving him slowly insane. She had to know how he felt about her. Had to know how crazy about her he really was. Carry a torch for her, hell, he was carrying an entire forest fire. As long as Evangeline was safe, he could do whatever it was he was needed to do.

"I'll hold you to that, Captain," Evangeline nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip before turning away so he couldn't see her blinking rapidly. Steve clenched his jaw and reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his side. She allowed him to hold her as they started downstairs, towards the front door. He could definitely get used to having Evangeline tucked under his arm.

Natasha, Bucky, and Sam were at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for them when they got down. Evangeline had a fistful of his shirt, her grip white knuckled. Steve kept an arm around her as long as he could, until he had to say goodbye to the others. Thankfully, Natasha stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Evangeline, whispering in her ear conspiratorially.

"Keep her safe for me," Steve asked Bucky, who was keeping an eye on the women carefully. Steve knew that Bucky would do what he could to keep Evangeline safe and out of HYDRA hands, but it was nice to hear the oath repeated. It would definitely ease some of the tightness in Steve's chest.

"It's my mission," Bucky nodded, unaware that that was the last thing Steve needed to hear at the moment.

"Don't worry, dude. We'll take care of her. You come back in one piece so we don't have to explain that loss. I have a feeling she wouldn't take it well." Sam clapped him on the shoulder and Steve pulled the other man in for a quick hug, slapping his back lightly and grinning when Sam sputtered a little from the strength of the hit. The other man pulled back with a groan and rolled his shoulders, shooting Steve a dirty look. "You know what? Never mind. Don't come back. I'm fine with you not coming back."

Steve rolled his eyes and pulled Bucky into a hug, even if it was well-known that Bucky hated physical contact. This time, he let Steve, accepting the affection openly. Steve hoped that was a good sign as he clapped Bucky on the back as well. Pulling away, Bucky didn't bother trying to shake the hit, instead shooting Sam a superior look.

That was going to come back and bite him in the ass someday, Steve could just feel it.

"Ready, Cap?" Natasha asked, having exchanged a few words with Evangeline that seemed to lighten the mood. Steve nodded, starting towards the door. He wasn't sure about any of this and he hated leaving when Evangeline could be in danger, but it was what he did. It was part of the job. Unless he didn't want to be Captain America anymore, he would have to leave her sometimes. To make a better world.

Before following Natasha out the door, Steve pulled Evangeline in with one arm and pressed his lips against hers, swollen and bruised from their earlier activities. After kissing her gently, Steve pressed his lips into her forehead, hugging her tightly to him. Evangeline returned his hug before pulling away and forcing a strained smile onto her lips. Her nose crinkled slightly and Steve had the insane urge to smooth that crinkle away.

"Come home soon." She looked up at him with those golden eyes and Steve took a moment to memorize every detail of them. He doubted he'd ever forget her face, ever forget a single thing about her, but he brushed his knuckles along her cheek anyway, lips quirking just slightly when she leaned into it.

"Yes, ma'am." Steve gave her a military class salute before walking out the door and towards his next mission, the knowledge he was leaving Evangeline behind heavy on his chest.


	43. Mission Control

**All right, here's the beginning of the mission and a little girl talk because who doesn't love Nova teasing Eve? Thank you to everyone who reads, reviews, favorites, and follows, you guys are awesome. Welcome, to all the new readers. Welcome back, to all the ones who have been here since the beginning! Any questions, comments, concerns, don't be afraid to ask!**

Eve stood on the bed in Steve's room, staring at the holo-vid screens that James had helped her move in. They were attached to the ceiling and hung down in a semicircle around the foot of the bed. There were four. One for maps, one for comms, one for video, and one for communications with Nova and Maria, who were both working the mission with her after a brief phone call of explanation. The screens were movable with just a click of a button, courtesy of Stark Industries. Really, working for Tony was more helpful than he could ever imagine. Though SHIELD would never admit it, Tony had better tech and more funding.

"Nova, you there?" Eve called out, dropping onto the bed to sit cross legged by the headboard, grabbing the tablet remote that came with the screens. Video feed from Nova's own screens popped up and Eve smiled when she noticed Elise grinning in the background.

"I'm here, darling. So is your nosy sister. Really, I should just kick her out after everything she's put me through to see you. Honestly, what a little pain in the ass," Nova complained, shooting Elise a dark look. Elise simply ignored her, used to Nova's attitude when it came to her tech. As far as personalities went, Nova was probably the most easygoing person Eve knew. But she got testy when it came to her tools or her tech and Elise wasn't known for keeping her hands off of things.

"Hey, Evie! How's dating Captain America? I can't believe you're dating a superhero. I bet he's amazing. Is he amazing?" Elise asked, pushing Nova out of the way quite physically. Nova gave an indignant shriek and Eve laughed, shaking her head at their antics. At the thought of Steve, her hand went straight to the dog tags he'd given her, still hung around her neck where they would stay until he was safely stateside. Grabbing the metallic plates, she held onto them, wondering if he was nervous about his current predicament. She sure was.

"It's great when he's not jetting off around the world to remote locations to kick HYDRA ass. When he does that, it's kind of nerve wracking." Eve started pulling up information on her other screens, starting with satellite imagery of the coordinates the Hawk had sent her. "Hey, FRIDAY, can you get me imagery from the national databases too?"

"Of course, Ms. St. James." Eve had employed FRIDAY for the mission, knowing that the AI was a better hacker than her. Nova was pretty good as well, but she was busy trying to get into any known HYDRA databases to get information on what Steve was going to be walking into. Eve didn't want to have to cut her information gathering short.

"You're using FRIDAY? Hi, FRIDAY!" Elise called out, a smile lighting up her features. Surprisingly enough, Elise and Eve looked almost nothing alike. The only thing that was remotely similar was their heights. Elise was five two while Eve was five three, something they had argued about all the time when they were younger. Who was taller had seemed very important when Eve was her court appointed guardian.

All their other features were fairly different. Elise was a beautiful girl with light brown hair that fell to her shoulders in loose curls and hazel eyes that bordered on green. Her nose was thinner than Eve's and her cheekbones higher, her jaw more defined. If anyone looked at them together, they wouldn't think they were sisters. Elise took after their mother while Eve looked a lot like their father, something she was loath to admit, even on her best days.

"Hello, Ms. Elise. Ms. St. James, I have acquired the data you requested," FRIDAY informed her, pulling up the satellite imagery onto the first screen.

"No fucking way!" Eve growled as soon as she saw the location, grabbing her tablet and blowing up one of the pictures.

"What?" Nova's face appeared on the screen as she shoved Elise out of the way. Eve took a deep, deep breath, trying to calm the immediate anger that threatened to engulf her. There was no saying that Steve actually knew where in Greenland they were heading. She had no proof that he had left that particular bit out of their goodbye. But, deep in her bones, she knew he'd known. It explained the prolonged goodbye, his own anxiety about the mission, the way he hadn't seemed to want to let her go. It explained damn near everything.

Eve grabbed a pillow and launched it across the room, ignoring when it hit the dresser, rattling the wood against the wall. She noticed Elise leave Nova's room, quietly slipping out the door as if she was never there at all, obviously correctly assuming that Eve was upset about something to do with the mission she was currently manning.

"They're headed to the ice sheet. In Greenland," Eve snapped, sending Nova the information. Her eyes grew wide as she read over the information FRIDAY had brought up. "It's one of the least explored places in the world. There won't be any cameras except what's in the HYDRA base and there isn't an evac if they don't get themselves out. I can't even call in a strike team if things get shady since the closest one is over a hundred miles away."

"And he didn't tell you." It wasn't a question, Nova could read the answer on her face.

"Of course he didn't tell me!" Eve groaned and fell back into the pillows, growling under her breath as she attempted to keep any other emotions in. Even if he had told her, what could she have done? Asked him to stay home? There were people who needed him that weren't her. Nothing she could have done or said would have been enough, but it still hurt her to know he hadn't trusted her with that information. Even if she couldn't have done anything, she wanted him to know he could be honest with her. It was important to her that he knew she would support him, even if his plan was ridiculously stupid and could get him killed.

Eve almost jumped when she looked up and found James standing in the doorway, watching her carefully. He had a hunting knife in his human hand and stood ramrod straight, like he'd been expecting trouble when he'd shown up. Sighing deeply, Eve pushed up into a sitting position and shook her head, running a hand over her hair and tugging on the curls gently.

"Sorry, James. I just threw a pillow at the wall." Eve motioned to where the pillow had landed, pulling up another picture of the icy tundra that Steve was currently en route to. "Did Steve tell you about this?"

James took a few steps into the room, standing next to the bed while he looked over the information she had on the screen. A few stray chunks of hair fell around his eyes, brushing his chin as he contemplated his answer. The rest of his hair was pulled back into a mess of a ponytail he'd obviously done himself, loose and bumpy. Eve considered offering to help him pull it back so that it wasn't in his face, but bit her tongue. They were friends, but he didn't like being touched. Logically, Eve knew that he saw someone behind him as a threat. Natasha only got away with corralling him into putting his hair up because she was capable of keeping him immobile until she was done without needing his consent.

"He didn't. They're going to the Arctic Circle?" James asked, glancing sideways at her. His face was unreadable, his knife weaving between his fingers as he took in the data.

"No, there's only a small portion of the ice sheet that is actually in the Arctic Circle. But they're fairly close. 76° 42′ 0″ N, 41° 12′ 0″ W," Eve explained, pointing out the coordinates as she read them off. James's lips twitched down at the corners and Eve wondered if he was as upset about it as she was. Technically, Steve had said no one else knew about his nightmares about the cold and the ice, but she figured James had just as many terrible memories of the ice as Steve did. He'd worked in Russia a lot in the winter, hence his codename. Besides that, James was far from stupid. It was entirely possible that he knew about Steve's nightmares without the other man having to tell him.

"Hey, creepy friend of Captain America's! Long time, no see. How are you?" Nova chose that moment to speak up, pulling a fond eye roll from Eve. She loved Nova, but the other woman had about as much tact as a squirrel.

"You again," James growled at the screen. Nova was less than deterred, her smile ratcheting up a notch as she realized that, yes, she could get under his skin. Eve just hoped she didn't piss him off too much. She wasn't sure that Sam would be any use against the Winter Soldier and Eve knew that she had no chance in a fight.

"Yep, me again. Honestly, you're so grumpy. I don't know why Evie is so fond of you. Maybe it's because you're cute? But she's already got the Captain. You're not really her type. No offense," Nova sighed, flipping a wrench as she considered James. James was staring at her, eyes squinted just slightly. Eve almost groaned as Nova switched her attention from the data to James, obviously more entertained with his reactions to her pestering than with the computer work she was supposed to be doing. "Keep my girl safe. She's practically my sister and my family doesn't do well with one of our own being injured. I'd be really sad to see your pretty face all messed up."

"I don't think you'd need to worry about my face," James snapped back, holding up his hunting knife like that was enough proof he could take care of himself.

"You underestimate the Maddox family. Trust me, being on our bad side isn't pleasant. Right now, you're doing alright. You're Captain Rogers' best friend, you saved Evie's life… But be warned," Nova teased, starting to type away again. Eve shook her head, splitting Nova's screen so she could bring Maria up.

"You two, please stop arguing. And, Nova, no attacking James. He hasn't done anything to deserve your wrath," Eve chastised, surprised when James didn't leave right away. He moved to lean against the wall, where he had a clear view of her vid screens as well as the window and the door, his eyes flickering to both before he was back to watching the screens. "Maria, are you patched through?"

"I'm here. Did you get the coordinates?" Maria immediately got down to work, her expression far too serious.

"Are you at the Tower?" Eve frowned as she took in the room Maria was set up in. She was at a desk that looked like a command center, a keyboard in front of her and an amazing view of New York behind her. There was only one place in the world that would have a communications room with a view like that and the entire building was owned by Tony Stark.

"Stark called me in when he realized he couldn't get Nova immediately. I'm working in one of his labs with high security," Maria explained as she pulled up the information Eve had spread along her own screens. It made sense, Tony calling Maria in. As much as Eve hated the idea of her friend being in danger, Maria ate danger for breakfast. She was a high profile target for a lot of terror organizations, including HYDRA. She was also a high profile target for the alphabet agencies within the US. They wanted what she knew. As far as information and highly classified intel, Maria and Eve held the same amount of knowledge. The difference was that Maria could kill someone three hundred different ways with a paperclip.

"I can't believe you sent Steve to Greenland. Really? The ice sheet?" Eve complained as she started typing in different orders as FRIDAY pulled up more and more information from vague government websites and different exploration attempts. Her eyes ran over the numbers and words quickly, picking out noteworthy coordinates and helpful advice as she went. At this point, anything would help.

"I didn't send the Captain, I sent Barton. He called in for backup when he realized the HYDRA outpost was larger than he'd thought. That's not my fault. I have no authority over what the Avengers do. Just Romanoff and Barton," Maria reminded her as she started adding data to Eve's screens. Whatever Maria knew, she would send over for the mission. It was standard protocol.

"Are we really not going to talk about the fact that Eve is playing house with Captain America?" Nova threw out, dropping her wrench onto the desk with a dull thud.

"I'm not playing house. We're… We're dating. Or whatever you want to call what we're doing, since we've really only been on, like, one date…" Eve made a face at Nova, scrunching up her nose. James snorted in the background and Eve turned to point at him, narrowing her eyes. "No one asked the peanut gallery."

"I call it making out and occasionally cuddling," Nova informed her crisply. Eve spun back to face her two best friends as Maria bit her lip to keep from laughing and Nova grinned. "Technically, you've been on two dates, one of which was arranged by one of the most effective spies in history. Honestly, Natasha deserves a medal for getting you two together. After everything you've told me, I honestly thought you two were going to be in that dance forever!"

"Really, it's not Eve's fault they're both oblivious. Everyone at SHIELD knew that the Captain had a crush on her before he'd even met her in real life. Well, that's not really true. They met a few times, but she refused to let him know she was Seraphim. Once he figured it out, it was only a matter of time," Maria piped up, smirking when Eve growled at her.

"Can we not talk about my love life right now? My boyfriend is about to go on a mission that could kill him in one of the least explored places in the world with minimal backup," Eve reminded them desperately, not wanting to listen to them critique her relationship.

"Ah, she called him her boyfriend!" Nova squealed, clapping and laughing. Maria shook her head with a grin, sending Eve the comms station they'd be using on the long range system. Tapping out the station ID into the press-on communicator on her arm, the comms hummed to life, voices filling the room as Eve let the comms connect to the computers, projecting the noise so that both women could hear and James could too.

"Are we live?" Eve asked, Nova automatically shutting her mouth and starting to work in earnest. They'd be busy from now on. Once the comms were live, the real work started.

"We can hear you, Seraphim." The Hawk was the one to answer her first and Nova tapped into her feed, the film from the quinjet bursting into life on the third screen. An automatic transcript started on the second screen and Eve sat up straight, eyes finding Steve immediately.

He was dressed in his Captain America uniform now, dark blue cargo pants and the dark blue poly-armor that Stark had come up with covering his top. A white star was emblazoned on his chest and the helmet he wore was on the seat behind him. Everything about him screamed mission ready, so different from the Steve she'd been used to over the last couple weeks.

His back was military straight, shoulders pulled back and confidence radiating off of him. Blue eyes dark, they were serious and his jaw was clenched tightly, holding back any fear he might have. His thumbs were tucked into his belt and his head came up when her voice projected to them, eyes searching for the cameras he knew were there. He found one of them and nodded to her, expression serious. Eve wished she could reach out and touch him, ensure herself that he was still safe. Instead, she took a deep breath and pushed those emotions aside.

From now on, she was his communication's specialist and that was it. If her emotions got in the way, she wouldn't be as efficient at her job and she needed all the help she could get.

"You're about twenty minutes out of the closest landing site. Once there, you'll have a ten kilometer walk to get to the entrance of the facility. From the information we've managed to gather, there are two snipers you'll need to take out as well as four guards by the entrance," Eve explained, pulling up the only satellite images that Nova could gather of the area they were planning on infiltrating. Maria had gotten some more that were helpful, but it wasn't enough. They didn't have enough information on the area, on the facility, and what they were doing in it. Most of the mission would be run blind, which was never a good thing. Especially when it came to Steve I'm-going-to-ignore-my-comms Rogers.

"Is there a good perch?" The Hawk asked immediately. Eve shook her head, even though he couldn't see her.

"Nothing that will give you a good enough view."

"Widow?" Steve asked, his eyes finding the woman in the co-pilot's seat.

"Widow, did you bring your snowsuit with you?" Eve contemplated that arrangement, wondering if Natasha would have the time to sneak up and disarm the snipers. She'd be able to take out one at the very least. The other would probably be alerted, but she could snipe him before anyone else was hurt. Natasha wasn't ideal with a long range weapon, but she was capable. She was capable at pretty much everything.

"Of course, Seraphim. Do you think I'm an amateur?" Natasha teased, sending the camera on board a smile.

"All right. That should work." Eve started detailing the op to Natasha, who nodded, face suddenly serious. It was nice, going back into an op and being able to run one for Strike Team: Delta again. It was even slightly nostalgic to have Steve on comms after so long away.

They would all be fine. They were the best SHIELD had to offer and they'd take care of one another. Eve had to believe that.


	44. Infiltration

**Okay everyone! Here's the exciting part 1 of the mission! I totally loved writing the mission and I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say. There's tons of sass, fighting, and Clint Barton being a little shit, so I hope everyone enjoys! Also, thanks a ton for the reviews. I forgot to mention before, but I have over two hundred! Thanks to all the loyal reviewers and anyone else who wants to leave a few words for me. I love reading your opinions and I hope you're enjoying the story. Let me know what you think!**

Steve glanced sideways at Barton, who had his bow drawn, an arrow firmly in place. They were both in thermowear, Stark tech that kept the freezing temperatures at bay. Even so, their breath made white clouds in the air and Barton was stiff, teeth clenched as he watched the glaciers that Natasha was supposed to be mounting to take out any snipers.

Silence met Steve's ears and he took a deep, calming breath, aching to hear Evangeline's voice if only to tell him it was all going to be all right. The memories of his time in the ice kept threatening to surface, pushing against his mind like physical weights while he did his best to bury them beneath the current mission. This wasn't anywhere near where he crashed the plane and Natasha and Barton wouldn't allow him to freeze here. He was as safe as he could be and he just needed to remember that.

It was easier knowing that Evangeline was on the other side of his comms. She'd always been a reassuring voice in the background and now it meant so much more to him that she was still willing to guide him. He wasn't sure what would happen if she ever decided she no longer wanted to work for SHIELD, for him.

A shot rang through the tundra and Steve automatically raised his shield to protect both Barton and himself. It was actually lighter than it seemed, but it still had weight to it, enough to remind him what his job was here. And he would finish the job, just like always.

"Widow's target has been neutralized. Move in," Evangeline ordered. Steve latched onto the sound of her voice and started after Barton as he vaulted the ice bank they were crouched behind, already moving towards the metal tube-like entrance that they would use to get into the compound.

Steve whipped his shield around, launching it at the guards that were posted outside the door. Barton shot two arrows in quick succession, one of which exploded on impact with a snow bank near the guards, blinding them to the attack. The shield slammed into the first guard that was just raising his weapon and bounced into the second. It catapulted back at Steve, who caught it easily right as he threw himself at the first HYDRA guard, landing on top of him heavily.

They slammed into the ice, snow flurrying up around them as Steve punched him, hard. Something cracked under his fist, but Steve was already throwing up an arm to block the other HYDRA goon from stabbing him. The light glint of metal in the man's black gloved hand was enough warning to have Steve on edge. Grabbing both of the man's arms in his hands, Steve clenched his fist on the arm holding the knife, the bone crunching under his grasp. The man screamed, but Steve just head-butted him, knocking him out cold.

Dropping that body, Steve turned to find that Barton had taken out the other two guards, Natasha jogging towards them in her white suit, her blonde hair helping her disappear into the surrounding snow.

"Okay, the lock is rudimentary…" Eve trailed off as Steve eyed the contraption. It was a combination lock with a thumb print scanner, wired into the door frame. It looked like a child had put the thing together and Steve adjusted his hand in the strap of his shield, gripping the handle tightly. Before she could finish her thought, Steve brought his shield down on the lock as hard as he could, the steel crunching as the lock fell to the ground, completely useless. "Not really what I had in mind, Captain."

"I took artistic license," Steve informed her as he grabbed the handle of the door and dragged it open, Barton with his bow up and Natasha with a pair of handguns trained on whatever was behind it. As soon as it was open, the shooting started. Steve brought his shield up, placing himself between the HYDRA agents and his team. Natasha easily ducked behind the shield, peeking out to see her targets. Steve yanked her back in when another volley of shot went off, one skimming her arm before he could get her to safety.

A splatter of crimson hit the snow in a macabre scene, but Natasha was already pulling out from behind the shield, squeezing the triggers of her guns in rapid succession. Steve dove into the compound, rolling in and to his feet in one smooth motion.

"Five assailants, all armed with Glock 19s. Fifteen rounds in a clip. Three more incoming," Evangeline warned them. Steve moved immediately, ducking a shot to his head. He dodged to grab Natasha by the waist and drag her out of the way of an oncoming bullet. She kept up a volley of return shots, letting him shield her as Barton took out two of the agents with one trick arrow.

"Hawkeye, cover us!" Steve called over the chaos. He heard Evangeline relaying the command as he dropped Natasha on her feet and they went rolling in opposite directions, the world spinning around him. Pushing to his feet, Steve launched his shield at the two HYDRA agents closest to him while Natasha jumped at the last one, snapping his neck in one clean motion. "Everyone all right?"

Steve caught the shield when it bounced off the wall and came back, sliding his arm through the straps. Natasha nodded to him, changing one of her clips while Barton jogged to catch up, a grin on his lips.

"Perfect, Cap. Still have a long way to go, though," commented Barton, who was already grabbing another arrow.

"Two coming in, Captain, from the door on the right at the end of the grate," Evangeline interrupted, her voice tight. Steve adjusted his shield, raising an eyebrow at Natasha, who smirked dangerously. Barton kept his bow pointed at the door while Steve braced against the wall to pull it open, eyes finding Natasha's again. She nodded and Steve threw the door open, letting her dive through. He closed the door again, listening to the sound of guns going off and screaming that echoed down the grate.

It barely took a minute before a knock sounded on the door, firm and confident. Steve opened it, eyeing the two bodies on the floor and Natasha, who was wiping a bit of blood off the corner of her mouth.

"Don't look so worried, Cap. It isn't my blood." Honestly, he hadn't been worried. Natasha exuded confidence and he'd seen her work. If there was anyone he trusted to go into a HYDRA compound on their own and come out on top, it was Natasha Romanoff. She was the Black Widow, the ultimate spy and assassin. She could probably convince whoever was leading HYDRA to hand her all the secrets they held in ten minutes if they let her. He didn't doubt her for a minute.

"Go down this corridor. There should be a door on your left in a hundred feet. You're going to go through there into a boiler room. There's a panel behind some pipes straight ahead once you're in and it'll take you through to another hallway, this time thirty feet long," Evangeline told them. Steve started moving, leading the way. There was no question if Evangeline was telling the truth or not. She would tell him whatever her intel said and, if it was wrong, it wasn't because she was lying. He had complete faith in her abilities.

The door was right where she'd told them it would be and Steve braced his shield, throwing open the door and letting Barton survey the room before he followed through.

"So, Seraphim, what's it like dating our Captain?" Barton grinned back at Steve as he moved around the boiler in the middle of the room and started pulling the grate free with a practiced move. If he wasn't important to the mission, Steve would have hit him. Maybe thrown him out a window or something for good measure.

"Aren't you in the middle of a mission, Hawk?" Evangeline asked, her tone teasing and fairly light. Steve felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. If Evangeline wasn't worried, he didn't need to be. She could see more than he could and she would let them know if they were in any danger. As long as she was still teasing and joking around, everything was fine and he had no reason to worry.

"Of course I am. But this is more important. Does he treat you right? I thought you and I were meant to be, you know. You're breaking my heart." Barton sent Steve a grin, Steve shaking his head at his antics. He definitely wasn't giving Evangeline up to _Barton_. Or anyone. But especially not Barton, who would probably get her killed in the first ten minutes of them dating. Even if he stopped dating Evangeline, if she wanted someone else, Steve wasn't about to let her get hurt. No matter what.

"He's great. Now, pay attention. There's going to be a hatch on your right. If you break it, it should cut the power. The emergency generators will come on to provide oxygen, heat, and minimal lighting, but the security cameras will short out. I won't be able to see you if you do this, but we can still track you using your tracking chips," Evangeline cut Barton off, thank god. Steve didn't enjoy being reminded of all the men that Evangeline could have been with that weren't him.

"No comment on breaking my heart?" Barton asked, sliding into the grate. Steve motioned Natasha in, attaching his shield to the holder on the back of his uniform as she ducked after her partner.

"I'm so very sorry your heart is breaking. As long as you're not dead or seriously injured, I call it a good day, though," Evangeline informed him. Barton chuckled, motioning to the hatch as he passed it. Natasha went past too and Steve looked it over. The door was fairly thin, latched shut with another combination lock. There wasn't much room to maneuver, but Steve grabbed the top and the bottom, straining as he yanked it off, the cover bending back with the force of his strength. Grabbing a pair of pliers out of his belt, Steve paused for a moment.

"Do I cut it all or just one?" he asked, unsure what to do at this point.

"Green and red wires. Don't cut the yellow," Evangeline warned. Steve did as told, glancing up when the lights flickered and then turned off, the entire building seeming to hold its breath. It took a moment for the backup generators to start up, a terrible grinding noise preceding low lighting blinking back to life and a hum of energy sliding through the walls. "I can't see you anymore. We're trying to hack into any additional feeds they may have, pressure sensors or heat cams, but it doesn't look like they have power either. Until the power comes back up, I'm blind."

"See you on the other side, Seraphim," Barton sang, starting down through the small hall with his bow up. Natasha shrugged and followed, her guns still in hand. Steve grabbed his gun out of its holster, clicking off the safety deftly. Without Evangeline being able to see them, the mission just got a hell of a lot more dangerous. She could still lead them through the labyrinth, but there would be no more warnings of danger unless she could get heat signatures.

"I'm not leaving you until your stateside, Hawk," Evangeline reminded them. Steve felt his lips tilt into a smile, knowing that she was there with them, even if she couldn't see them. "I'm not leaving any of you."

"Alright, you boys ready?" Natasha turned to them, eyes sparkling. There were two kinds of agents. Those who loved the job and those who hated it. Natasha was definitely one of the former. He hadn't seen her come to life more than when they were about to walk into the most dangerous situations he could think of. She was always most alive when she could die, even with blood sliding down her arm and danger around every corner.

Steve could feel the adrenaline pumping through his own system in response to her probing, his heart rate accelerating just slightly. Gun in hand, he gave her a sharp nod, breathing deeply. Barton was next to him, bow gripped tightly and his eyes on the door, a gleam there that hadn't shown before they'd gotten to the door. His entire body was loose and he grinned at his partner, raising up his head in a gesture of recognition, bow raising until he was ready for whatever was to come.

Obviously, Natasha wasn't the only one who lived for this moment. As much as Steve had wanted to live a normal life, have a home and a family, he wasn't sure that he'd do anything differently in this moment. This was the moment he lived for. The moment when the danger was paramount and they were about to walk right into battle. It was what he'd been made for.

"Go," Steve ordered and Natasha threw open the door, rolling out as shots rang through the air. Barton went next as Natasha returned fire. Ducking around the corner, Steve raised his own weapon, shooting at the four HYDRA agents on the left side. Barton had the three on the right and Natasha was aiming for both, arms stretched out on either side of her.

The world seemed to slow down, swimming into focus as Steve ripped his shield off his back, spinning to throw it at the nearest agent. He shot the one to the left as his shield slammed into the one in the middle, bouncing off as the man fell to the ground, a bullet hitting him between the eyes from Natasha's gun. The shield hit the wall and rebounded into the third agent, knocking his gun out of his hand. An arrow slammed into his chest as he fell, the shield bouncing back to land in Steve's hand.

Natasha took out the last agent on Steve's side and he turned to face Barton's assailants, all of whom were on the ground, dead or dying.

"Well, that was satisfying," Barton quipped, grinning as he walked over to the three men he'd taken out. Grabbing the end of his arrows, he ripped them out, adding them back into his quiver without looking least bit affected by the fact that they were covered in human blood now.

"Where to next, Seraphim?" Steve asked, Evangeline's codename familiar on his lips. It was odd to be calling her that after so long. Evangeline was a beautiful name and Steve liked it more than most names. But it was comforting to have Seraphim back on his coms, even if he knew her by another name now.

"Left. There should be a hall on your right about a hundred and fifty feet ahead, you're going to want to take that and another three hundred feet will bring you to an elevator shaft. You're going to want to go down five floors," Evangeline explained quickly as they started moving again.

"You know, this was so much more fun when you weren't so worried for us," Barton opened his mouth and Steve was finding more and more that he wanted to slam it closed for him. Other men talking to Evangeline didn't usually bother him, but Barton was a special case that grated on his nerves, even on the best days. And this definitely wasn't one of Steve's best days.

"I've always worried about all of you. But I usually don't send you into an ice sheet that's three hundred feet below a glacier with no visual and no chance of sending in backup if something goes wrong," Evangeline snapped. Yeah, she was definitely angry he hadn't told her about the ice. There was no definitive proof he'd known that he was going into the ice sheet, but it was obvious that she'd assumed he'd have asked that. And he was definitely not getting out of it without an apology.

"Oh, come on. Widow and I do this all the time!" Barton teased, obviously ignoring the warning in Evangeline's tone.

"We'll be fine," Steve interrupted, hoping to soothe her fears a little.

"You have to be fine. How am I supposed to kick your ass when you get home if you die out there?" Evangeline asked, her tone still slightly off. Steve frowned a little, but had to put up his shield as they neared the corner they needed to turn at. Bracing himself, Steve nodded at Natasha, who went first around the corner, guns raised. It didn't take her long to wave them after her, shaking her head to let them know that there weren't any guards.

"I'm sure I'd wake up in seventy years and you'd still be around to yell at me." Just the thought of it sent a shiver of apprehension up his spine, but Steve shook it off. If he was nervous, she'd know. She had their vitals up and she'd start asking questions if his started to fluctuate.

"God, don't even joke about that," Evangeline demanded.

"Still can't believe you're with him. Honestly, he's not even funny. And he's probably old enough to tell us what dinosaurs looked like. Tell me, Cap, did they really have feathers or are the historians full of shit?" Natasha interrupted, shooting him a grin as she sauntered down the hall without even an ounce of fear. Natasha was the kind of person that would walk into a room full of armed men without a weapon and smile when they raised their weapons in her direction. Not just a great agent, but also bat shit crazy to boot.

"You're full of shit, Widow," Steve shot back, shaking his head at her. She just shrugged, pleased with herself.

"He's ninety five, not a billion," Evangeline defended. At least she wasn't mad enough to completely write him off. That was something and he was thankful. He hadn't actually gotten her mad yet and he had a feeling that he didn't really want to. Evangeline was fairly mild tempered in the grand scheme of things, but he'd heard her when she was scared or upset and he definitely didn't like it. Even over comms.

"Are you sure? Because I think I see wrinkles. Were you around when dirt was invented?" Natasha asked, her tone politely curious.

"Okay, elevator coming up, let's leave my age out of this," Steve begged. It was creepy to think of how old he was and then look at Evangeline.

"Seraphim, how old are you? Aren't you only, like, twenty five?" Barton asked seriously, an eyebrow raised when Steve shot him a dirty look. He so wasn't helping Steve keep his mind off the mind-boggling age difference between them.

"I'm twenty seven, thank you very much. And, really, the Captain is only around thirty two, thirty three, physiologically. So stop trying to make him feel old and start paying attention to your surroundings before you get shot," Evangeline ordered, sounding slightly exasperated.

"You're welcome and I'm multitasking," Barton denied, making his way to the elevator doors and slinging his bow over his back to inspect the door. Steve looked it over too, guessing it wouldn't be terribly hard to open. They'd need an escape latch in case the power went out and the elevator didn't look like it was hooked up to the generator. If anything, it would have a ladder on the side they could use.

"Stop multitasking and get to work before I come through this microphone and hit you over the head with it," Evangeline threatened, pulling a smile from Steve. He'd missed this. The easygoing commentary, the teasing, going on death defying missions.

"Alright, fine. Cap, a hand here?" Barton groaned, motioning to the door. Steve reattached his shield, stalking over to where Barton was and grabbing the elevator door. It took a second to squeeze his fingers in, the slight pain not worth noting as he grit his teeth and started to pull, bracing one foot against the wall. The sound of pounding feet was all the warning they got before HYDRA agents were swarming the corridor, guns up, ready to fire.

"Incoming!" Natasha hollered, grabbing Barton by the quiver and shoving him towards the elevator door opening. Steve grunted as Barton threw himself into the waiting unknown, Natasha returning fire on the group of HYDRA agents.

"Nat, go!" Steve growled as one of the bullets sliced through his side. Sharp pain travelled through his body and Natasha spun and dove through the opening, fumbling with her guns to get the right equipment. There was no time to wait and Steve took a deep breath, spinning and slipping through the small opening into the darkness that awaited him. He sent up a prayer that they weren't all about to die and he'd get to see Evangeline again, at least one more time, before focusing on the looming darkness below.


	45. Central Hub

**Hello, hello! Here's part 2 of the mission. Thanks for all the reviews, I apologize for the cliff hangers… Kind of… To everyone who faves, follows, and reviews, thank you so much! I love hearing what you guys think and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you continue to do so. Here we go!**

Steve's shoulder almost popped out of its socket as he gripped Barton's hand, momentum stopping rapidly as the other man caught him mid-fall, pain shuddering through his entire body. Groaning, Steve pressed his free hand against the wound on his side, his gloves coming away stained with blood. Whoever had managed to hit him had done a good job.

"Let's never do that again," Barton complained, the muscles on his arm bulging while he started lowering them down from the grappling arrow he'd used to save their lives. Natasha had a grappling gun she was hanging off of, easily lowering herself to the right floor. Five floors down, she swung herself over to the wall and started placing charges, intent on blowing the entire outpost into the Arctic. It had been the plan from the beginning, something they'd all carefully avoided mentioning to Evangeline. If she spoke to him when he got home, it was going to be a miracle.

"I agree," Steve grunted out, swinging over to the side of the elevator shaft and managing to find a place he could hold onto. Barton let him go before finding a spot to perch himself. His balance was uncanny as he landed on an exposed pipe and crouched there, completely comfortable with the yawning abyss open below them.

"Is everyone alright?" Evangeline spoke up, voice terse. Steve could imagine her pursing her lips and glaring at the empty screen where their video feed should have been, her nose wrinkled in her annoyance. One of the things she hated the most was not having a video feed running live footage of them when they were on missions. If there was no video feed, she couldn't assess the damage and decide what to do next. She had to rely on them being honest about any injuries that occurred and that rarely happened in the field.

"Steve got shot. But I think he deserved it," Natasha tattled on him, sticking her tongue out at him when he raised an eyebrow in her direction. He wasn't going to mention being injured; Evangeline had enough to worry about without knowing he was bleeding out from a bullet wound. It wasn't like the bullet had hit anything vitally important anyway. Even if it had, his advanced healing would definitely heal it without help after a while. A graze was nothing to worry about in the long run. That didn't mean Evangeline wouldn't worry, though.

"Natasha got shot. She definitely deserved it," Steve countered, bracing along the pipes and gears in the shaft and launching himself over the empty space in the middle to land near where Natasha was now balanced on some exposed pipes. Natasha had the charges set up and was contemplating the door to the floor they were supposed to be on.

"You're both alive, though. And being smart asses, so that's always reassuring. Hawk, you still alive?" Evangeline brushed off their bickering, focusing on the other man, who was working on launching charges up and down the shaft.

"Always. I'm going to live forever, remember?" Barton smiled as he took another shot, watching the arrow hit home exactly where he'd wanted it. Steve didn't understand the bow and arrow, but he wasn't about to start bad mouthing Barton when he could shoot him in the eye from a mile away with hurricane winds. Barton was probably one of the only ones who had a chance of taking Steve out and Steve was definitely aware of that fact. Snipers were always harder to pin down than others.

"That's what you keep saying. Medical is saying differently, last I heard. Dr. Cho refuses to heal you now. You're using too much of her synthetics." Evangeline sounded further away and Steve listened closely, the comforting lull of her fingers tapping on the keyboard meeting his sensitive ears. He could hear someone talking in the background, from the tone and the laughing, he assumed it was Nova. Evangeline hadn't mentioned calling her friend for backup, but he wasn't surprised. Nova was talented, just not a great comms. At least, not compared to Evangeline. No one compared to Evangeline.

"It's not my fault she doesn't have enough," Barton observed, vaulting across the elevator shaft without looking the least bit concerned, before grabbing onto a pipe and swinging up to land on a gear near Steve. The other man crouched down on it, perfectly balanced. Steve wasn't quite sure how he managed that.

"If Dr. Cho wanted to take care of you, she'd try to date you. And, sorry, but she's interested in our resident god, not our resident circus freak," Natasha called over to Barton, who shot her the finger. "So, how do we want to do this? Seraphim, got any ideas?"

"There should be a gear box near the door on the right side. Dark grey, has a lift cover and some switches on the inside." Steve pointed to the box she was looking for, right by Natasha's hand. Natasha opened it up and started surveying the scene, the smile falling from her lips as she got a little more serious about what they were going to do next.

"What do you want me to do with it?" Natasha twisted more comfortably on her perch, leaning one arm along the wall to hold herself up.

"If you're close enough, Widow, use your Widow's Bite on it. It'll overcharge the breakers and should cause the door to open," Evangeline informed them. Natasha smirked, charging her Widow's Bites with a dangerous look on her face.

Thrusting one fist into the panel, Natasha grinned as the entire thing started to spark, a concerning sizzle sending smoke floating above them and into the darkness. Natasha ripped her hand out of the way, yanking out a handful of wires with it. The door whirred, an alarm sounding somewhere as it started to open.

"On three," Natasha called out, turning off the Widow's Bites and grabbing her guns. Above, the door they'd come through opened and guns started firing down at them. Steve hugged the wall and Natasha snarled up at the HYDRA agents, shooting up towards them. "Three!"

Steve hauled himself into the opening of the door, gritting his teeth as the floor dragged against his bullet wound. Climbing onto the correct floor, Steve reached back and swung Natasha up, Barton clamoring up on his own soon after. Natasha checked her weapons, Steve pulling his own gun out of its holster again to check the clip.

"We're in, where to now?" Natasha asked Evangeline, checking the hallway with a critical eye.

"Two hundred feet down, go left. There's a door at the end of the hallway; it's the central hub. There are going to be guards- I can't see how many, so be prepared. You're going to want to go in and take out the main computers. There should be archive files. Those are the ones that Natasha needs to infiltrate. Use the second flash drive; the algorithm will hack almost anything. It'll connect you to our computers and we'll do the rest," Evangeline explained quickly.

"Let's get this over with. I want to be back home by tomorrow," Barton clapped Steve on the back as he passed by, a grin on his lips and a bounce in his step. The only one uninjured. It was obvious that Barton was just as crazy at Natasha was when it came to enjoying the work they did. Then again, he had chosen this, just like Steve had. Natasha, given the information that Steve had, had been thrust into working for SHIELD by default. It was work for them or be killed, and she'd chosen to try and redeem herself. That wasn't to say that she didn't enjoy the work though, obviously.

Natasha rolled her eyes and took the safety off her weapons, starting after Barton at a slow jog. Steve brought up the rear, letting them swing around the corner and start shooting while he grabbed his shield and positioned it over his chest, gun out as he followed them.

The world seemed to slow as he took on the HYDRA assholes that were guarding the main hub. At least eight agents stood between them and the door, two already on the floor. One had an arrow sticking out of his face plate and the other had two bullet wounds, one to the neck and another to the thigh. Steve took aim, shooting at face plates, necks, and shoulders, the least protected areas he could find.

Natasha ducked into another opened door in the hall, cursing in Russian while she reloaded. Barton kept up a steady volley of return shots, Steve covering him as best he could.

Instead of waiting for the rest of the guards to make their way in, Steve dove forward and rolled to his feet in front of the guards. Slamming into the first agent he came to, Steve knocked him back into the wall with the shield, shooting the second agent that tried to attack him. Holstering his weapon, he knocked his shield into another agent, grabbing the man's arm and twisting his pistol out of his hand. An arrow slammed into his face plate and Steve dropped him, kicking another agent back into the wall with enough force that the metal dented. Spinning, Steve threw his shield at the last two agents. It bounced between the two and back to Steve, who caught it easily. Barton took out one of them and Natasha took out the other, running to catch up.

"How do we get through the door?" Steve asked Evangeline, glancing back down the hall when the sound of running footsteps reached his ears. Grabbing the panel next to the door, he ripped it off, letting Natasha stare at the contents.

"You should be able to short it out the same way as the last one," Evangeline answered after a moment's hesitation, obviously unsure. Steve almost cursed when he remembered that she couldn't see them, tension rising in his shoulders. They needed to get the information off of the servers. Bucky's life was still a mystery they were solving and he needed to know if there was information here.

"This one is different. There's different cords. I don't think the Widow's Bites will…" Natasha trailed off when the door slid open, a HYDRA scientist staring at them. Steve stared back, surprised that someone was stupid enough to open the door. Barton didn't pause, taking the shot as Natasha kicked the man back, grabbing his key card as he fell. There were more HYDRA scientists around the room, some diving for cover and others diving for guns.

"Nevermind." Steve walked into the room, shield front and center. If anything, these bastards were going to know who had come after them.

"Someone was nice enough to open the door for us. Honestly, their training is terrible," Barton informed Evangeline, who snorted over the comms. Natasha had her guns out, trained on two different scientists while Barton shot a third to knock the Glock out of his hand. Everyone in the room froze for a moment, waiting to see what they'd do.

"I'd say this is a robbery, but it isn't," Natasha quipped, shooting the two scientists that she was aiming at and taking out a third while Steve braced himself and launched his shield towards an agent who was going for the large computer bay on the other side of the room. Running into the room, he ignored what the other two were doing, knowing they'd work around him. It was something they were very good at and he trusted them not to accidently shoot him.

The world was a blur of chaos for a few moments while Steve tackled another scientist that was going to the computer bay, knocking him out with one well-placed right hook.

"Widow, get the info. We have ten minutes!" Steve called out, bursting to his feet to catch the shield. Barton was in the doorway, shooting into the hallway while the burst of gunfire echoed back at them. Natasha shot the last scientist and moved into the room, vaulting over a desk and eyeing the computer bay.

"I'm plugging in now, Seraphim. Got your man on it?" By man, Natasha meant Nova, but they didn't use real names over the comms. Nova had a codename, Steve just didn't use it often. Usually, she didn't speak or have anything to do with their missions besides doing computer work for Evangeline.

"Go ahead, we're ready." Steve glanced back to see Natasha plugging the flash drive into one of the computers, tapping out a few commands. His attention was diverted when Barton swore viciously, ducking back into the room while pressing a hand into his left arm. Blood ran through his fingers and he growled angrily. Steve would think the man was used to getting shot, what with how often he managed to get in the way of bullets.

"God, Barton, it's like you enjoy getting shot!" Natasha hollered at him, turning to face the doorway. Steve adjusted the shield, ready for a fight. Whoever came in through that door next was dead already. The entire building was rigged to collapse even if they didn't finish the job.

"Captain America and his team. We're honored." The voice that echoed towards them was unfamiliar, the heavy accent European, possibly German. Steve tensed, jaw clenching. Last time he'd fought a German in the ice, he'd woken up seventy years later. There wasn't going to be a repeat.

"You should be. He only comes out of retirement on special occasions. He needs his rest," Natasha answered in a sultry tone, a half smirk on her face. Barton pulled his bow up, wincing a little at the pull on his wound. Steve waited, free hand going down to grip his gun.

The man who came through the door was tall and thin, almost bony. His hair was salt and pepper and glasses perched on his nose as he eyed them, ignoring Barton. His hands were free and empty, a white lab coat buttoned over a pair of grey slacks. His feet were in house shoes. He obviously hadn't been expecting them. He didn't look intimidating, with crow's feet spreading by his eyes and laugh lines decorating his cheeks, but Steve wasn't fooled. He was still HYDRA and still probably deadly.

"The Black Widow and Hawkeye. One, a Red Room sensation. The other, a poor farm boy with no home. Interesting that you'd think we wouldn't know who you are," the man observed. Steve's brow furrowed. They'd never mentioned not thinking he'd know them. The suit wasn't exactly conspicuous and they'd dumped all of HYDRA and SHIELD's files on the internet. If HYDRA didn't know them, it would be a miracle. After all, Natasha and Steve were the ones who had found HYDRA in the first place.

"We weren't exactly hiding," Steve reminded him, not interested in talking. As long as they got the information, he didn't care what this man knew or didn't know.

"If you're so confident, Captain, I should warn you. We know who she is too." It meant nothing to Steve, who just stared back at him, daring him to continue speaking. Whatever he said next, Steve didn't really care. He just wanted to hit the man. "Evangeline St. James. Your Seraphim, yes?"

Steve was moving before he even consciously decided to attack, jumping the desk in the way and slamming into the man who had confirmed Steve's worst fear. His shield clattered to the ground, the metallic thud barely registering. Steve tackled him so hard the man's head bounced off the floor, sliding them into the hallway. Someone swore behind him, but Steve ignored them, blood already starting to leak from the man's head as he grinned up at Steve.

"You think she'll ever be safe? Because she's with you? You're dangerous to her, Captain. Evangeline will die, whether we kill her or not. It's a dangerous world out there and we know where she is-" His words cut off when Steve's fist slammed into his face, the crack of his nose breaking like music to his ears.

"Steve!" Evangeline's voice echoed in his ears, but he ignored her, punching the man twice more. More bones cracked, shattering on impact. "Steve, get your ass up and get out of there! You have five minutes to get back to the jet and come back to me. You promised me you'd come home!"

Her words hit him and Steve jerked up, the HYDRA asshole unconscious under him. Blood splattered his glove, none of it his own.

"I got it! Let's get out of here." His shield was shoved into his face and Steve grabbed it on instinct, getting to his feet quickly. Launching one last kick towards the man's ribs, Steve turned, starting after Natasha. Barton was staring at him, one eyebrow raised in question. Instead of answering that question, Steve took off at a jog.

"He's up. Get us out of here," Barton murmured into the comms.

The man's words still rang in Steve's ears, haunting him. They knew who Evangeline was. And they claimed to know where she was. If they knew where she was, she was in danger. They'd kill her. It was obvious that they would. She meant something to him. If something happened when he wasn't there, it was his fault and he couldn't live with that.

"Go back the way you came. The elevators are still out. Once you're on the surface, you'll have to run. The quinjet is already waiting for you; we brought it up so that it's less than a mile out. Get to the entrance," Eve demanded. Steve moved automatically to follow her orders, his mind still whirling with the possibility of them being after her. "By the way, I've been filled in on your plans and I have to say that I am going to kick your ass as soon as you get home. Whose bright idea was it to blow up the compound? You'd have more time to escape if you'd just set the charges to go off by remote detonation. That is what we're for."

"They said they know where you are," Steve forced out, his tone pained. He completely ignored her comment on their plan, knowing it was no use to argue with her. He might be in for a lecture when he got home, but he had to get there first. And she had to be safe. What he wouldn't give to be able to teleport back to her.

"The Sergeant and Falcon are already on it. You have nothing to worry about except yourself. You owe me a date, Mister. I plan on collecting. No matter how mad I am at you," Evangeline answered. None of that calmed him in the least. Bucky was more than capable of keeping her safe, but he didn't want the other man to be anywhere near HYDRA hands either. Sam was human, no matter that he had an impressive set of wings and a military background. His mind whirled with possibilities. The backup safe house could be compromised. If they'd already found Sam's house, they could find the rest of their safe houses too.

"Go to the Tower." Steve surprised even himself with this order, Natasha glancing over her shoulder back at him as they hit the elevator.

"The Tower? HYDRA definitely knows where that is," Barton reminded him as Natasha shot out another grappling hook, disappearing into the elevator shaft. Barton shot up an arrow and followed her while Steve took out his own grappling gun. Unlike Natasha, he only had one and it was for the ride up.

"It'll take you less time to get there than it will us, so you can go while we're flying back. The Tower has the most advanced security on the market and there are more people there that can help if there's an attack," Steve completely ignored Barton, not wanting to get into an argument with the other man at the moment. It wouldn't end well for the other man.

"James says we'll leave as soon as you get on the goddamned quinjet. Hurry your ass up, Captain. The point of going to the Tower is moot if you don't make it there," Evangeline snapped. Steve swung into the opening of the floor they'd come through, hitting the ground running. He would make it back to her because he had to. Someone had to make sure she was safe and he'd taken that responsibility on himself.


	46. Shattered Ice

**Here's some drama for you all because I love it. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and welcome to everyone new! Shout out to my beta, lunar mischief, who is still putting up with me. She's a rock star and I'm lucky to have her. Hope everyone enjoys and Happy (Late) Valentine's Day!**

 **P.S. : Please don't hate me.**

"Two minutes!" Natasha yelled back, bolting towards the grate. Steve ran after her, keeping behind both of the assassins he worked with. Even if he desperately wanted to get to Evangeline and see with both eyes that she was all right, he wasn't about to let either of his teammates die. He might have a problem with Barton for his flirty approach to speaking with Evangeline, but he didn't hate him. Honestly, Barton was one of their best agents and he was one of the only ones that Steve trusted completely.

"If we blow up, Seraphim, make sure Hawkeye gets my arrow collection. And Lucky!" Barton called into the comms, laughing. Steve growled a little, knowing that he was talking about Kate Bishop, the younger Hawkeye. She was a teenager and definitely didn't need any more arrows. The problem with the Hawkeyes was that Barton was an ass and Kate was far too young, in Steve's opinion. She was a child that should be at home worrying about dances and boys, not out saving the world with them. But she was just as good as Barton, who insisted on sharing the title with her. Not only that, but no one else in the Avengers seemed worried about the fact that she was too young to be in their line of work.

"If you blow up, she'll help me bring you back to life so I can kill you again. Really, blowing the entire outpost up without warning me? You're lucky you're almost three thousand miles away," Evangeline snapped back, obviously not amused by their choice to destroy the compound. She understood, logically. What she had a problem with was how closely they were cutting it, Steve knew. He'd known the whole time that she'd be upset about that.

"If we live, I'll let you punch me. Is the quinjet landed?" Barton asked, sliding out of the grate. Steve followed him, practically falling out.

"It's hovering about the ice sheet. If the ice cracks because of this stupid stunt, the quinjet could go through if we'd landed it. You're going to have to jump to get in, but you have to make it there first. Go!" Evangeline yelled with a tinge of desperation in her voice. Steve took off after the assassins, slinging his shield onto his back and trying to ignore the rising panic that was attempting to choke him. Evangeline was safe. She was fine. She'd be at the Tower when he got there and HYDRA would have to march over his dead body to get to her, something they hadn't managed yet.

"Come on!" Natasha screamed back at them, bursting onto the snow covered ice sheet. Barton was right behind her and Steve another step behind, the first charge going off as they thundered towards the quinjet that was barely a quarter mile away.

"Get your asses into that quinjet or so help me God…" Evangeline's panic spurred him on and Steve and Barton levelled with Natasha, who was the first to jump towards the quinjet, rolling up onto the landing. The ice bucked as the charges went off, Barton launching himself into the bowels of the jet. Steve braced himself to jump, the ice cracking beneath him. Panic froze his veins as he scrambled to the side.

It was too late.

The last thing he heard before the ice disappeared beneath him and freezing water gripped his suit was Evangeline, screaming his name in his ear.

"Steve!" Eve shrieked, bolting to her feet on the bed. The third screen zoomed into the horrifying scene of ice cracking, booms like thunder ripping through the comms before Steve disappeared, falling into the depths of the freezing water and miles of ice. "Steve! Steve! Answer me!"

"Evie…" Nova tried to get her attention as she screamed, but Eve ignored her, blood running cold. He was in the ice. The place he feared the most. More than Germany, more than WWII, more than New York and Sokovia, and losing James. She'd never forgive herself if he died in that ice. If she had to, she'd fish him out herself.

"Steve! Natasha, he fell through!" Eve didn't even try to be quiet, her panic sending her heart skittering into an erratic rhythm, her hands shaking as she desperately tapped at the tablet that ran the screens. She would find him. There was no option of failure. If she lost him… She wouldn't. That wasn't an option.

"Eve? Eve, what happened?" Sam ran in with James on his heels, eyes wide as he surveyed the room. They were packing up everything they could while she was running the mission, but now they were both carrying large, large guns and James had his hunting knife in his other hand, ready to attack anyone who tried to hurt her.

"He fell through. He fell through the ice," Eve cried, breathless. Sucking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down, she practically hyperventilated where she stood, chest heaving as tears welled in her eyes. James immediately turned to look at the screens, obviously analyzing the scene faster than Sam.

"We're going to get him out, Eve. We will. Just breathe. Get a heat signature pulled up and tell us where he's at," Natasha soothed, moving around in the quinjet with practiced ease. She was yanking out safety equipment, clothing, blankets, anything that could help. The Hawk was flying, keeping the jet steady while Natasha worked. They acted like this happened all the time and Eve wanted to hit them and praise them at the same time. How they could be calm when Steve could be dying, she'd never understand. But their calm was more productive than her panic.

"I have it. I'm sending it to you, Widow. There should be a heat detector in one of the cabinets. Hawk, keep the plane as steady as possible. If he can get himself out, you're low enough that he should be able to get into the quinjet. The cold will most likely shock the Captain's system, though; it's possible that he won't be able to help himself even if you get to him, so be ready to pull in deadweight," Nova explained quickly, typing rapidly. She was handing out orders like a natural and Eve would have been proud if she wasn't in the middle of a panic attack.

"James, what if they don't find him? What if he doesn't come back? I can't lose him!" Eve cried, tears welling in her eyes. She refused to let them fall, but James wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her off the bed, setting her on her feet before him easily, as if she weighed nothing. He handed his gun to Sam and slid his knife out of sight, his hands moving to grip her shoulders in an almost bruising grip. His metal fingers dug into her soft flesh and Eve was sure that he would bruise her on that side at least.

"Listen to me. He's coming back. He'll come back for you. But you have to help him do that." James looked pointedly at the vid screens before turning back to her. His grey eyes were hard, staring straight into her own. "Steve is strong. He won't let this stop him from keeping you safe."

"I can't lose him," Eve murmured, throwing her arms around James's neck and hugging him tightly. He froze like she'd stabbed him, entire body going rigid while she buried her face in his shirt and just held on for a moment. James was the closest thing she had to a best friend in the room at the moment and she desperately needed his strength to pull herself together. He might have been just as scared as her, but he wasn't showing it and he wouldn't let it stop him from doing what needed to be done.

He was right. She couldn't freak out just because Steve was under a sheet of fucking ice. It was her job to get him home and she couldn't throw that to Nova. He was going to come home. She wasn't going to let them leave him behind.

After a moment, a hand brushed against her back, lightly. Just enough pressure to let her know that it was James's human hand, warm against her thin sweater. She let out a wavering laugh as she pulled back, swiping at her eyes to push the tears away. There was no way she was breaking down until she was sure that he was coming home. After that, it didn't matter.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized, turning to see that Nova was giving James a thumb's up. Obviously, he hadn't been the one to decide to try and calm her down with a hug. Either way, she appreciated the gesture. "Alright. Natasha, what do you have?"

"Not a lot. There's something that's moving around below the surface, but I can't get a clear image to tell if it's him. I threw out the buoy and there's a rope we threw down, but it looks like one of us is going to have to go after him." Onscreen, Natasha was suiting up in a diver's suit, completely ignoring the fact that the suit wouldn't keep the freezing temperatures at bay.

"No. You're not going in. It's way too cold; you'd never find him before you went hypothermic. Nova, get the satellite footage up and get me currents, I want to know where he is right now. Barton, keep that bird in the air. I don't want either of you jumping in," Eve ordered. She knew that Steve would be pissed if one of them froze trying to find his body. If Steve was going to get out of this, he'd have to do it himself.

It was freezing.

The water had hit him like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of his lungs and leaving him desperate for air. It dragged at his uniform, the current pushing him this way and that. The world disappeared and all that he knew was the unrelenting cold of the Arctic swirling him in its depths. Water and ice surrounded him, no chance of a rescue. Time seemed to stand still, another voice from another time calling his name in a heartbroken voice.

The ghosts of his past rushed up to meet him, dragging him deep into the cold oblivion he should have died in the first time. Darkness rushed in and he was ready to give in. It had been so, so long and he could practically hear the swing band playing in the distance, his old teammates reaching out to meet him. If heaven was real, he knew the people who would be waiting for him at the gates.

Steve stopped fighting the rushing cold, embracing the freezing temperatures for one peaceful moment. If he let go now, he could go home. That was all he wanted, wasn't it? To be back in his old apartment with his mother? Peggy would be waiting for him on the couch and the Howling Commandos would be laughing at the small kitchen table, a pitcher of ale between them. It would be summer, the stifling heat sticking his tee shirt to his back and the scent of his mother's apple pie sweetening the air. Bucky would show up whenever he was ready, laughing and teasing him about being too tall to fit through the doorframe now. It would be perfect.

But there was another world, another life that wouldn't join him. If he gave up now, would he really be going home? The thought of home brought up the image of curling auburn hair, golden eyes, and pursed lips with a wrinkled nose. Home meant curling up in a warm bed with cold toes pressing against his legs, an equally freezing nose pressing into his chest. Home meant Evangeline teasing him about scars and being an ass and carrying her around because letting her go might mean losing her.

And if she did show up in his heaven, wouldn't that be worse?

Steve's eyes snapped open, the world around him dark and tumbling. Evangeline was in danger. They'd threatened her. Right now, the who didn't matter. All that mattered was that he couldn't let go yet. Someday, he'd go. He'd sit down with the Commandos and tell war stories, introduce them to everyone in his life that mattered. Peggy would be there, but maybe she wasn't the one he would introduce to his mother with a grin on his lips and an arm around her back. Maybe that spot was slowly being filled by another.

Fighting the current, Steve pushed towards the muted light, kicking with all the power he possessed. The cold ate away at him, the feeling in his limbs threatening to leave him as his hands reached up, desperate for an opening he could get through. If he gave up now, Evangeline was as good as dead. And he couldn't enjoy his heaven if he knew she'd died because he hadn't kept her safe.

Reaching towards the muted glow of the light, his palms met solid ice. Swimming along the sheet wouldn't work and his mind sluggishly came up with a solution, lack of oxygen sending his thoughts scattering in every direction, always coming back to one. Evangeline.

Reaching down, Steve fumbled with his belt, blinking against the burning salt water. Pulling out the correct implement, he slammed the device against the ice, turning around and swimming away as fast as possible. Spinning, he stroked against the current, watching the limited glow of red light blink faster and faster before the ice exploded, the force sending him tumbling back.


	47. Going to Safety

**Hey everyone! I'm sorry for so many cliff hangers in a row, it's just so much fun… Thanks to everyone who favorites, follows, and reviews, I love hearing from everyone and can't wait to hear more! To anyone who doesn't know, the most popular votes for the next story revolved around Bucky Barnes, so he's up next. Let me know what you think of this chapter!**

"Was that him?! What the hell?!" Eve yelped as the ice exploded half a mile away, a cloud of smoke issuing from the hole. The Hawk was already turning the quinjet around, Natasha grabbing one of the handholds to keep from tumbling out the back of the jet. She was suited up in the diver's suit still, refusing to take it off. Maria had taken over the controls for a moment to issue a SHIELD order not to jump into the water, but it looked like Natasha didn't give a shit when it came to Steve's life. Natasha and Steve were partners and friends. Eve knew there was no way that Natasha was letting him stay in the ice either if they could find him.

"It's him!" Natasha hollered back, the wind cut through communications. Eve ignored the feedback while Nova zoomed in on the picture, allowing a better view of what was happening. Eve's fingers tightened around the dog tags Steve had left her, gripping them almost painfully as she waited to see if he was going to make it.

"His body temperature is lowering rapidly; he's going to be hypothermic. You're going to have to get him out of his clothes and dried or he could still be in danger. Get him to the Tower as fast as possible. I've already sent a message to Tony. He'll have a medical team standing by," Eve ordered, tone wavering only slightly. She'd barely reached out before James's hand was in hers, squeezing reassuringly. Sam had gone to finish packing everything into the car. He wanted to get to the Tower as soon as possible to see Steve's condition. James, by himself, was a better companion. They had the same amount of worry for the Captain and James wasn't as cautious with his emotions if they were alone.

"Cap?! Can you hear me?" Natasha called out, blonde hair swirling around her as the Hawk lowered the jet down right over Steve. She threw out a rope toward the ice, critical eyes taking in what she could of his condition. Eve rolled onto her toes, squeezing James's hand as tightly as possible. He didn't even seem to feel it, his eyes glued to the screen.

"He's going to be fine, Eve. He's got the super soldier serum on his side," Maria tried, pulling Eve's attention away for a millisecond.

"The super soldier serum doesn't make him invincible." It was something she'd thought about before. The serum was previously unstudied. There had been no surviving members of the trials and Steve had been frozen, so no one really knew the extent of the serum. James was a subject, but HYDRA didn't leave their notes open for any curious SHIELD agent to look though. Most of the research was in secure facilities or lost altogether. What Steve could survive hadn't actually been tested yet. And she didn't want to test it in the least.

"You underestimate how stubborn that little punk is," James informed her, his voice a low grumble as Eve turned back to the screen in time to witness Natasha sliding down the rope she'd thrown, gripping it tightly. The black nylon was dark against the snowy expanse around them and Eve tightened her fingers around James's hand, watching as her friend reached out and clipped something from her belt onto Steve's uniform.

"God, I hope so." Eve sent up a silent prayer that Steve would be all right, nibbling on her bottom lip as she watched the Hawk appear at the end of the quinjet's ramp, cranking a lever to slowly pull Natasha and Steve back up.

Steve was practically limp and the water was freezing against his skin. His normally blonde hair was pasted to his head and dark with water, skin shockingly pale. The picture on the screen switched to the cameras in the quinjet as Natasha pulled herself up onto the ramp. Eve sucked in a breath when she saw them drag Steve in, head hanging and arms dangling uselessly at his sides. The shield was still on his back, the star a bright symbol against the darkness of his suit.

"I'm going to get us on a course to the Tower. Barton's going to change him into some sweats we have on board and we'll crank up the heat-" Natasha cut off, her head snapping around as she turned back toward Steve, who had lifted his head slightly. The Hawk glanced straight at the camera, looking back down when Natasha frowned tightly. "I'd get in the car and start driving. He's asking for you."

"But if we leave…" Eve started, turning to look at James with wide eyes.

"I'll keep it up on our screens and monitor him. You take your tablet, I'll make sure to send you video so you can see what's going on," Nova cut in, already typing away on her computer.

"Go, Eve. If he wakes up in the Tower and you're not there, we're going to have a bigger mess on our hands," Maria ordered, her expression brooking no argument. Eve still hesitated, eyes flickering to Steve as the Hawk started stripping him down. If something happened while she wasn't on comms, she wouldn't forgive herself. But they were flying through territory that she couldn't get a good comm link through and it wasn't like Nova wouldn't warn her if they were in danger…

"Come on. The quicker we get there, the quicker you get to check on him," James reminded her. Eve turned to look at Nova, clenching her fist around the dog tags and hoping against hope that he would be alright.

"Take care of them." It was a soft reminder and Nova nodded firmly. There was no arguing with James and Eve cut out her screens, letting herself sink to the floor as soon as no one could see her. James crouched next to her, hand still holding her own. She'd let him go, given him the option to pull away, but he didn't. For the first time, Eve considered that James might need her support just as much as she needed his. Maybe she was Steve's girlfriend, but he was his best friend. They'd made it through decades and James probably cared about him as much or more than she did.

"He's going to be fine. Steve's strong," James informed her, sounding one hundred percent confident in his best friend. Eve wanted to believe him, but she'd seen how pale he was. His core temperature had dropped from a steady 105.3 degrees to 94.8. That was hypothermic for a regular person and Steve was so far from regular that it wasn't even funny.

"Even if he does survive the freezing temperatures, the chances of him healing completely are low. Hypothermia isn't just being cold, he could lose fingers, toes, even whole limbs. The heat of his body will go straight to his heart to keep him alive, but that could cut off the blood to his brain. No one can be under water for that long. He was under there for almost five minutes. Brain damage, oxygen deprivation-" Eve was cut off by James's prosthetic hand covering her mouth, pressing into her lips and stopping her voice.

"Let the science go. Steve isn't a normal person. He's lived through being frozen for seventy years. If anyone can live through this, it's him. Now, we're going to go to the car and drive to the Tower and you're going to be there when he walks in," James ordered, his voice hard. His eyes were softer, lessening the blow. All Eve could do was nod against his hand, which he slowly removed. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and Eve swiped them away, sniffling at the thought of Steve being gone from her life.

Slowly, James got up, pulling her up with him. He scooped her tablet up off the floor and they started toward the door at a fast pace, his hand still gripping hers tightly. Sam met them by the front door, handing James his gun. James took it and tucked it into the waist of his jeans, grabbing a jacket off the wall and handing it to Eve. She took it automatically, pulling it on only to find that it was far too big. James let her go to pull his own coat on and then they were moving, out the door and to Sam's small Sedan.

"Barnes is going to drive; you get in the passenger's seat. If something happens, there's a gun in the glove compartment," Sam murmured as they started towards the car, James on one side of her and Sam on the other. Eve shivered against the cool air that hit them, half jogging to keep up with their longer strides. James walked her to her side of the car, opening the door and waiting while she slid in. Sam slipped into the back and took the middle seat, bracing himself when James jogged around and ducked into the driver's side.

"Buckle up," James pointed to her seat belt and Eve clicked it into place, grabbing the seat when James threw it in reverse and peeled out of the driveway as soon as she was buckled in.

Her entire body was shaking, her knuckles white with how hard she was holding the seat. Whatever happened next, she'd always love Sam's house. It was where she'd gotten to know Natasha, James, and Steve. It wasn't her home, it wasn't where she'd grown up and it wasn't where she'd spent the last ten years, but it was a home. A home to her when she'd needed it. It was the place she'd gotten to meet some of the best people she'd ever known and it was a safe place to land when she'd desperately needed it. She hoped that Sam would let her come back at some point, just to see it again.

Twisting, Eve watched the house disappear into the rearview mirror, knowing that nothing would be the same again. What they'd had at Sam's place was fleeting. Beautiful and safe, something their lives were sorely lacking. As long as Steve lived through this current disaster, she honestly couldn't care less what happened from here on out.

All that mattered was that he needed to live. And not just for her. All these heroes, Sam, James, Natasha, Clint, even Tony were desperate to save him. If he died, the Avengers could die with him. If he died, they wouldn't heal from it. They'd healed from so much for so long, but she knew that they wouldn't heal from this. And neither would she.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, Eve glanced out the window. She'd always known that Steve was the one out of the two of them who needed to survive. In the Tower, that first day, she'd known he'd survive a ninety floor fall onto concrete. He'd survived too much to die from an impact wound. But the ice was something different entirely. Not only was it capable of killing him by cutting off his air supply and freezing him, it was the only thing that he was honestly afraid of. And fear was stronger than almost anything in the world.


	48. Everyone Needs Medical

**And I'm back! And without so much of a cliffhanger this time! I love everyone's favorites, follows, and reviews, totally make my day! Here we have Steve being overly protective and he's not the only one. Overprotective Natasha and Clint are my favorite people. Let me know what you guys think! (To anyone who wants to know if we're close to done with the story yet, not yet. There are more exciting bits to come, so stay tuned!)**

Steve swung in and out of consciousness, slowly blinking as heat burned his skin, searing away the cold with deadly precision. It felt like someone was cutting off pieces of him and trying to stick them back together in the wrong order, his blood boiling in his veins. When he was awake, he clung to the image of Evangeline as he'd last seen her, curls chaotic around her and his dog tags hanging around her neck. Her golden eyes staring up at him with a small smile on her lips, even though he'd been leaving her. He needed to preserve not just the memory, but the woman. Which was why he needed to wake up.

It was harder than it sounded. Sleep dragged at him, the voices around him muffled and soft. They sounded like they were behind a pane of glass, distorted and slow. He could barely make out any words as he blinked awake yet again, determined to stay that way even as the darkness beckoned him deeper.

"Cap, Cap, if you can hear me, we're almost to the Tower. Ten minutes. Hold on," Natasha's voice cleared slowly, the entire world bursting into focus. Steve bolted upright, Natasha very narrowly avoiding a collision. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…"

"Cap, you need to lay down," Barton's voice sounded from further away, but Steve ignored him, pressing a hand up to his forehead. His head was pounding with the rapid beat of his heart and the air was cloistering around him. It was hot in the quinjet, almost boiling. He could feel sweat sliding along his back, the heat a glaring difference from the ice he'd been in earlier.

The ice.

"Evangeline…" he groaned, throat burning as he croaked out her name, unable to speak more. Natasha pushed at his shoulders, forcing him back to laying on the floor.

"Eve is already at the Tower. She's with Tony and she's safe. James and Sam got her there safely," Natasha placated. Steve stared up at her, his stomach roiling and his limbs shaking from exertion. Swimming against a current was harder than he'd originally assumed, apparently.

He never knew what to believe when it came to Natasha. He counted her as an ally, but she would lie if she thought it would save him pain. Or if she thought he'd listen to her instructions more clearly. From the blank expression on her face, he assumed she was keeping something from him, something that would make a difference. Unless Evangeline had been hurt, he didn't know what it could be. And Evangeline couldn't have been hurt. She was safe. Natasha wouldn't lie about that. Would she?

"There's a medical team waiting for you at the Tower. When we get there, they're going to check for lasting damage, so don't try and hit any of them, all right?" Barton called back with a relieved laugh. Steve glanced that way and the entire world spun around him. Pushing up onto his elbows, Steve heaved, the burn of stomach acid sliding up his throat until he was puking salt water onto the floor.

"Let it out. You'd have healed faster if you hadn't swallowed a gallon of seawater. Honestly, Rogers, what were you thinking?" Natasha patted his back as he gasped and heaved again, water splashing across the metal.

"Wasn't," Steve forced out, heaving once more before collapsing onto the blanket someone had put under him. Natasha pulled another blanket over him and he let her, even if he was burning up. It was far too warm in the quinjet, but he doubted they'd listen if he told them that. They were obviously a little more concerned about his condition than he was.

"Obviously. Now, how do you feel? Sick? Cold? Warm? Is there any pain?" Natasha threw questions at him, sliding a thermometer along his hairline. "You, Captain, have a fever. Can that even happen to fossils? I mean, a steady 105.3, I can understand. But a 108? That's got to blow all other fevers out of the water."

"Hurts. Everything…" Steve trailed off, swallowing convulsively. His throat grated like sandpaper, his limbs far too heavy for his body. Everything hurt. His throat, his side, his head. His head felt full of cotton and the only thought he cared to hold onto was the thought that he had to get to Evangeline. No one was looking him over until he was sure that she was safe at the Tower and that she was all right. It wasn't even that he didn't trust Natasha; he just needed to see it for himself. Needed to see her.

"Just lay here. We're almost to the Tower," Natasha hummed, pressing a cold compress against his forehead. Steve grit his teeth and listened to the melody Natasha started up. It was an old Russian lullaby, she'd told him once. The only song they'd been allowed to sing when she was young. She only brought it out when she was worried or someone was sick. In this instance, he could see the reason being both. Focusing on Natasha's voice, Steve let her lull him into a comfortable state, his eyelids drooping the longer they sat there. He woke with a start when the quinjet shuddered as it landed, Steve bolting upright at the feel of the wheels hitting pavement.

"Calm yourself. Yes, we're at the Tower. But you're not going anywhere without a medical checkout," Barton was saying while Steve staggered to his feet. Once he was fairly certain he could keep himself upright, he started forward, shoving Barton out of the way by the shoulders and completely ignoring whatever else he was saying. The medical team was on standby, jumping into action as soon as they saw him coming down, but they weren't who he was looking for.

Natasha appeared at his side, ducking under his arm to help steady his walk. Any other day, he'd thank her, but he didn't even pause in his stumbling.

"Steve!" The familiar, calming voice hit his ears and he turned in the direction it came from, finding Evangeline on the sidelines, far enough away from the quinjet that she was safe, but too far for him to dodge the medical staff completely to get to her. Stark had an arm thrown around her shoulders, speaking in her ear, and Bucky was standing next to her, looking more like a bodyguard than anything else. The impression increased when Bucky reached out and gently grabbed Evangeline's arm, starting to pull her through the assembled doctors. If they didn't move fast enough, Bucky gave them a light shove enough to send them stumbling but not enough to throw them across the roof.

It didn't take long for them to get close enough for Steve to pull away from Natasha and take the three steps that would get him to Evangeline. His arms were around her before he could really think, picking her up and squeezing her into his chest, burying his face in her hair. Evangeline wrapped her arms around his neck and took a deep, shuddering breath, squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"I thought you were dead." Her voice wavered and he could feel a few hot tears land on his neck even as he held her tighter, relief coursing through him. She was alright. Evangeline was safe. And, if HYDRA did know where she was before, they didn't now. Even if they somehow did know, Evangeline wasn't going to get hurt again in this goddamned Tower. Steve would make sure of it.

"I'm fine," he rasped out, voice cracking. Evangeline pulled back to cup his face in her palms, lips pursed as she looked him over. Her fingers were freezing against his warm scalp, but Steve leaned into the feeling. It felt immeasurably good when compared to the cold compress.

"You need to put me down and go have medical look at you. You're burning up even more than usual and they need to assess the damage that was done," Evangeline reminded him, her hands still holding his face an inch from hers. Steve leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in one smooth motion. Her lips were soft and warm against his own cold, chapped lips. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she kissed him back, slow and sensual; desperate. He'd needed her so desperately that it physically hurt him not to have her near. Not just with the ice, but everything.

"Missed you," he forced passed his sore throat, ignoring the burn of pain that ran through him.

"I missed you too," Evangeline whispered against his lips, pulling back after one last chaste kiss.

"Captain Rogers, we really need to do a total workup to see what we'll be working against. If you don't mind laying over here, we'll get started as soon as possible. You'll be back on your feet in no time, I'm sure…" The medical professional that Stark had gotten for him trailed off at the glare Steve sent him, his voice cutting out.

"I'll come with you," Evangeline whispered into his ear, pulling Steve's attention back to the woman he was still holding. He had her off her feet, she couldn't pull away even if she wanted to. Luckily, she didn't seem to want to leave him.

"Come on," Steve's grip on Evangeline tightened when Bucky spoke. They were suddenly being dragged towards the medical bay, Steve carrying Evangeline. He hitched her slightly higher and she wrapped her arms around his neck for a better grip, burying her face in his shoulder. Steve didn't care where they were going as long as Evangeline wasn't taken away from him. He wasn't letting her out of his sight until he was sure they were safe.

"You're not going to just carry her around like that all day, are you? Because that would be counterproductive considering you're supposed to be healing. I also request visitation considering I've known this little angel longer than any of you," Stark's voice joined the fray and Evangeline's head came up a little to look at him, eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Stop being such a dick, Tony," Evangeline groaned, dropping her forehead against Steve's shoulder. "Steve, you should lay down. You're still sick."

"I'm fine," Steve wasn't sure if that was a lie or not, but he was going with that for the time being. Evangeline in his arms, safe, that was the only justification he needed to know that he was all right. As long as Evangeline was safe, Steve didn't really care that he was sick and probably in need of some medical attention. He didn't care that the ice had almost frozen him solid or that he'd almost died. All that mattered was this woman.

"You're not fine. And I refuse to be the reason you don't get well. I promise I won't leave. Now, lay down and let the doctors do their work or I'll make James hold you down," Evangeline threatened, pulling away from him. Steve growled low in his chest, but set her gently on her feet, knowing that it was no use arguing with her once she'd decided something. He quickly took her hand to ensure she didn't leave, but she just pushed him towards the medical bed that was set up in the infirmary.

Steve laid down as instructed, pulling Evangeline down onto the bed by his side. She sat down by his hip and he wrapped his arm around her waist, finally relaxing enough to feel the pain that was tugging at him. Everything hurt.

"All of you need medical attention. That means you too, Barton," Evangeline pointed at the archer with a glare and Steve would have laughed if he thought his body could take it. Barton frowned deeply, scowling at her, but still went and sat down in a chair nearby, obviously realizing what Steve had a long time ago: it was no use arguing with Evangeline. She would always win.

Gripping her hip tightly, Steve sighed, letting his eyes fall closed. A small nap wouldn't do any harm.


	49. In Which Maria's a Kickbutt Friend

**This chapter comes about because I love Maria Hill as one of Eve's best friends. We haven't seen her much, but she's definitely in the background. If anyone can spot the reference to CA:TWS, you're my favorites! Lol, just kidding, I love everyone who reads, favorites, follows, and reviews. Thanks for the love and the loyalty. I know it's really long, but there's still a bit to go through. I promise it won't be boring.**

Eve carefully ran her fingers through Steve's hair, his burning fever brushing her fingers as she looked down at him. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd laid down and the medical workup had found a lot of damage. Nothing in his brain, and the oxygen deprivation hadn't seemed to bother his body at all, but there was other damage. A bullet wound in his side. It hadn't hit anything important, but it would take a few days to heal. He had a fever and some internal issues after swallowing so much sea water. There was also some damage that they thought was caused by the bomb he'd managed to set off to break the ice. Lacerations, abdominal bruising, two broken ribs. He'd gotten lucky that he hadn't ended up killing himself with that idea.

"How is he?" Eve turned to face the doorway, Steve's fingers on her hip tightening reflexively. He hadn't moved his arm from around her waist the entire time they'd been treating him. She'd been in the same position for hours, but that was fine as long as he was here, alive.

Maria stood in the doorway, dressed comfortably in a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeved sweatshirt that clung to her body. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun and she raised an eyebrow at their position. As much as Eve had told her about her relationship with Steve, she obviously hadn't realized what it meant in the long run.

"Healing. There's some tissue damage and they're still waiting for the results of the tests they did on the internal organs, but it seems like he'll make a full recovery," Eve answered honestly, resting a hand on Steve's arm reassuringly. Even asleep, he was protecting her.

"You know, this isn't an uncommon occurrence with him. Are you sure that you're ready to date someone who routinely risks their life? I know you like him, but that's not all you need to think about if this is going to be a serious thing," Maria informed her, tone careful. It was obvious that she was aware she was brooking dangerous territory, but Eve shook her head slightly, glancing back at Steve's sleeping face. He looked a hell of a lot more innocent when he was asleep. The hard planes of his face smoothed out and he looked younger, like the man he could have been had he not taken the serum, or had he refused to fight the war after receiving it.

"You're a little late with that speech. Should have given it to me a few weeks ago, before we left," Eve observed, reaching up to wrap a hand around the dog tags that were still hanging around her neck. They were cold against her palm, but reassuring in a way. They'd survived just as much as Steve had and were still here. She believed that Steve would endure the same.

"I didn't know you were going to fall in love with him, otherwise I would have. Just be careful. He's a superhero and they aren't the most reliable men ever. I don't want to see you get your heart broken." Maria took another step into the room, eyes sliding over the machines Steve was hooked up to. They had an IV going into him full of enough nutrients to keep an elephant alive for a month. His advanced healing required additional nutrition and he couldn't eat with his throat as raw as it was. There was a heart monitor beeping in the background and an oxygen machine with tubes up his nose, providing uninhibited oxygen to his lungs. Hopefully, he would be all right to be moved in the morning. For now, he was resting.

"Do you think he'll break my heart?" Eve asked honestly, looking up at her friend curiously. The anger, fear, and pain had leeched out of her and left behind exhaustion in its wake. She had no more energy to be upset at the assumption that Steve would someday leave her. Besides, it was a fair assumption. Steve was a superhero. He was _the_ superhero. Eve was just a SHIELD agent. And not even that anymore. She was someone who worked for Stark Industries getting coffee and filing papers. Maria was technically her boss, not just one of her best friends. Why he'd stay with her was a mystery, but it was one she'd like to solve.

"If I trusted any of the Avengers with you, it would be him." It wasn't the answer Eve had hoped for, but it was honest and that was all she could really ask. Nodding slightly, Eve looked away. "Listen, I know we aren't really mushy friends like you and Nova, but you're one of my best friends. I might not be very good at the emotions thing, but I do care about you and I wouldn't say anything if I didn't."

"I know." She did know. Maria was a lot of things, but she wouldn't bring it up if it wasn't a possibility.

"I'm an agent of SHIELD first and foremost. I answer to Director Fury and I've sworn to uphold the law and protect the world from any threats, alien or otherwise. That being said, I will shoot him if he hurts you," Maria crisply informed her. Eve's head snapped around and her mouth dropped, eyes widening at the thought of Maria Hill shooting Captain America. She might shoot Steve Rogers - Steve was a pain in the ass and got on the nerves of everyone he met at some point or another - but Captain America was a superhero who was employed by SHIELD before the collapse. Maria had sworn to protect him at the cost of her life and she'd helped him take down the helicarriers in DC. They were something of friends, even if he did annoy her sometimes. "I told you. You're my friend. I work with Steve and I like him well enough, but that doesn't mean he gets to hurt you. I protect my friends."

"You don't have to protect me. If something happens between us, Steve isn't going to be the one who's completely at fault," Eve defended. She felt like she needed to.

"If I hurt her, you have my permission to shoot me." Eve almost jumped a foot in the air when Steve's raspy voice broke through their conversation. His arm around her waist tightened and she turned to him, fingers brushing against his cheek while she met his startlingly blue eyes.

"You're supposed to be resting," she reminded him gently.

"I am. I don't have to sleep to rest," he retorted openly. Eve shook her head fondly, ducking down to press a kiss into his burning forehead. He still had a high fever, a fever that would kill a normal person, but he was slowly, slowly cooling down. She gave it maybe three or four days before he was up on his feet again, demanding that they let him workout in the gym.

"You two are sickeningly adorable. I'm surprised by how right Natasha was. I'll see you tomorrow for coffee, Eve. Steve, get better. And I won't forget that I have permission to shoot you," Maria pointed at him threateningly and Steve let his lips quirk slightly as she turned and left the room. Eve waved after her, warmth spreading through her chest. Maybe her biological family was messed up, but she'd found a good family in SHIELD.

"How are you feeling?" Eve asked as she turned back to face Steve, curling one leg up so that she could face him better. He kept an arm wrapped around her, a tired smile making its way to his lips as he looked up at her.

"Like I got hit by a truck," he quipped, blinking lazily. It was obvious he needed more sleep, like three days more, but he waited for her response. Stubbornness was something he excelled at, so Eve decided to talk to him for a few minutes, give him some time to get good and tired before she ordered him back to sleep.

"You should know. You're the one who's got the most experience with that sort of thing," she teased softly, brushing a hand through his hair again. Steve hummed, eyes sliding closed as she scratched his scalp gently with her fingernails.

"I've only gotten hit by a car a handful of times. One time, I was thrown through a bus by a grenade. That wasn't as bad as this," he informed her. Eve scowled, glad his eyes were closed so he couldn't see her disapproval. He tended to find himself in dangerous situations no matter what she did to keep him safe.

"I'm glad you find this funny," she sighed, pulling her hand away to play with the dog tags around her neck.

"Not funny. But less concerning than it was a few hours ago." Reaching up, he took her hand in his, pulling it away from the dog tags he'd given her and instead lacing her fingers with his. His hand was a lot warmer than hers and she wished that she could find the heart to reprimand him. All the times she'd imagined being in medical with him had included a firm reprimand for getting himself sent to medical in the first place. Given the circumstances, she couldn't even pull up a good scowl.

"I thought you were dead," Eve whispered, tightening her fingers with his. Steve squeezed her hand, reaching out for her. She didn't even hesitate laying down in his arms, careful not to press into his wounds as she rested her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her. Tears swam in her eyes, but she kept them in. Crying never fixed anything and she wasn't going to let him see her weak like that.

There was silence as she listened to the steady beep of the heart monitor coupled with the thu-thump of his heart against her ear, reminding her that he was alive. In the circle of his arms, it was easy to pretend nothing had happened. That they were just lying in bed at Sam's house, waiting for sleep to take them. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend. But the beeping of the heart monitor and the steady whooshing of the oxygen mask on his face reminded her where they were and that she'd almost lost him to the ice. Peggy must have felt the same way once upon a time, listening to him crash the plane in the Arctic and unable to do anything to save him. It was a terrible feeling. Heartbreaking.

"I'm not going to leave you," Steve murmured, one hand moving to cup the back of her head. Eve brushed her fingers along his arm, afraid to hug him in case she hit a wound that wasn't healed yet.

"You might, one day," Eve reminded him. The future was a big unknown at the moment. Yes, they were back at the Tower, but that was out of necessity. The safe house had been compromised and they'd needed to leave. It wasn't because they'd come back for work or anything. The next week would determine whether they could really be a couple while she was working with Maria and he was working with Tony. It would be the real test. Whether or not he knew it.

"I can't pretend to know what's going to happen, but I'm going to keep you safe, Evangeline," he promised. Eve didn't doubt him. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe, but that didn't mean they'd stay like this. Dating or in a relationship or whatever it was called now.

She was pretty sure she would never be the same if he turned around and walked away when the HYDRA mess was all said and done. She'd survived everything life had thrown at her, but could she survive Steve leaving her?


	50. Steve Doesn't Listen to Medical Advice

**Hello, hello! Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows, they make my day! Shout out to my beta, lunar mischief, who helps keeps me sane while I'm editing. Honestly, she deserves an award. Let me know what you all think, I love hearing everything. If you have questions, comments, concerns, leave them in a review. Here's the chapter!**

Steve groaned as Natasha pushed the wheelchair he was sitting in. Stark's medical team had insisted he be wheeled to his floor instead of walking, as if he was some sort of invalid. It was embarrassing and downright degrading. He was a super soldier; the wounds he'd sustained while in the ice were practically child's play compared to everything else he'd been through. Honestly, it was just a little bit of cold, nothing to worry too much about. He hadn't even gotten shot in any vital place. The bullet wound he'd managed to get was a flesh wound, barely breaking skin.

He would have been far less annoyed if Evangeline was there.

Evangeline had been there when he'd fallen asleep the night before, curled into his chest while he held her. It was comforting, having her within reach again. She'd been warm and soft against him, barely any of her weight resting on his chest, even though he could take so much more. He was fairly certain that she'd fallen asleep before he had, no matter that he'd been overly exhausted after everything that had happened. Sleep eluded him at the thought of her being in danger. He'd only given in when Bucky had shown up, taking up residence in the chair next to the bed like a silent guardian.

When he'd awoken, they'd both been gone. Natasha had gotten him discharged after a few terse words with the doctor who was in charge of him and they were on the way back to his floor.

"You know, sulky isn't a good look on you," Natasha observed, obviously finding his annoyance funny. Steve scowled, gritting his teeth to keep from snapping back. Talking back to her would get him a one way ticket back to medical and he definitely didn't want that. Not when he'd just gotten out. "Eve is fine. She went to see if there was any destruction to her apartment; I already told you that. And Barnes is in his apartment, hopefully sleeping. If he doesn't get sleep soon, he'll turn into a real live zombie."

The door to the elevator opened before Steve could answer her, which was probably a good thing. He didn't have anything nice to say at the moment. Natasha was getting on his last nerve, even if she had managed to spring him.

She pushed him into his apartment, the short hall from the elevator decorated by Pepper herself. Steve hadn't had much say in what his apartment looked like in the beginning, but Pepper had a sixth sense when it came to the Avengers. She'd managed to keep the place tasteful as well as patriotic, keeping with the theme Stark insisted on, but mellowing it down a little. It was actually a nice place and he'd thanked her once he'd gotten over the shock of having an entire floor of the Avengers Tower to himself.

"I'm taking you to your room and you're going to stay there, right?" Natasha asked, as if she was talking to a kindergartener.

"Where else am I going to go?" Steve countered, just so he didn't have to answer. Like hell he was staying in bed until someone came to check on him. If Evangeline was somewhere else, he was going to go find her. He needed to know that she was still safe. All he could think about was the HYDRA asshole saying he knew who she was and where she was. HYDRA wasn't getting anywhere near her.

"Oh, gee, I don't know. Possibly to find our resident Steve-whisperer? Eve told me to tell you she'll be around to visit you as soon as she's done with the list of things she needed to check on. Now that she's back at the Tower, Maria is going to put her to work; you had to figure that. She does have a job," Natasha snapped, reading his thoughts with surprising clarity.

"I know she has a job." He still wasn't making any promises. Maybe he was being a little obsessive, but the thought of her being back with HYDRA horrified him on a level he couldn't even begin to explain.

"Yeah, well, I delivered on my end of the bargain," Natasha replied as she wheeled him into his bedroom. Steve stood, shaking slightly as he took the few steps to his large bed. Lying down actually felt terrific. It was his bed, the one that he'd chosen specifically. Pepper had decorated everything else in the apartment, but she'd let him pick the bed and it had been custom built to be perfect for him.

"And that was?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow as Natasha kicked up the footrests on the wheelchair.

"I got you back to your apartment safe and sound; what you do now has nothing to do with me. Go, screw things up to your heart's content. Just don't come and complain to me when Eve yells at you," Natasha waved at him, starting towards the door.

"You know what I like about you, Romanoff? You're bedside manner is amazing," he teased, grinning in satisfaction when Natasha flipped him off over her shoulder. She was gone before he could respond, probably going to warn the rest of the Avengers that he wasn't to be let out of his apartment. With the Tower still getting internal repairs, Stark hadn't had a chance to reinstall FRIDAY into the system. Since FRIDAY wasn't around, she couldn't restrict his access to just his floor.

He waited for almost twenty minutes, to be sure she was gone. It wasn't above Natasha to be waiting in his living room for him to try and escape. She'd done it before and he didn't feel like fighting with her now.

Slowly, he pushed to his feet, still determined to find out where Evangeline had disappeared to. Natasha had said that she was in her own apartment, making sure her possessions hadn't gotten ruined, but he wanted to make sure that she was alright and that someone was staying with her to ensure HYDRA's failure should they try to breech the Tower again.

The pain medication they'd pumped into him in medical was still going strong and he managed to take a few steps before the pain hit. It wasn't quite as bad as it had been the night before, but he ignored it anyway. Pain was something he knew how to handle. It was nothing compared to some of the things he'd been through in his life. In fact, it was fairly tame compared to panic attacks, asthma attacks, and pneumonia. Ignoring the sensation, he got to the living room before he decided to rest, dropping onto the couch for a moment.

It was there that he heard the elevator door open and voices, one very, very welcome, sounded throughout his apartment.

"So, we'll just make some soup. I mean, it's not too hard and I'm sure you've probably seen it be made before. Do you know how to cook?" Evangeline's voice was serious and Steve listened carefully for a reply, wondering who it was she was talking to.

"I don't know." The reply came from Bucky, causing Steve to straighten and turn to face his visitors. It was a relief to see that Evangeline was standing next to his best friend, who was holding three different sacks in his arms while Evangeline walked next to him, her nose wrinkled at his response. He could practically see the gears turning in her mind, obviously coming to the right conclusion about why Bucky couldn't remember if he could cook or not.

She looked away to eye his apartment, but her eyes immediately locked onto his, as if she could sense he was there. Her eyes narrowed and he knew she was upset before she even opened her mouth.

"What are you doing out of bed?! You're supposed to be resting and Natasha specifically mentioned that she put you _in bed_!" Evangeline hurried over, swinging around the couch and dropping down next to him as if she'd been in his apartment her entire life. Pressing a cool hand into his forehead, Steve leaned into her, glad she was back. Letting his eyes fall closed, he rested his head against her shoulder while she ran her fingers lightly along his cheek. "You're not going to get any better if you keep walking around like you aren't sick."

"I don't get sick," Steve argued weakly. He could fall asleep like this if she would be quiet for a few seconds.

"You do when you're submerged in freezing water for ten minutes. James, help me get him back to bed please?" It wasn't really a question, but Bucky made an assenting noise like it was. Steve mentally rolled his eyes, too tired to do so physically.

Steve opened his eyes again when Bucky's metal hand grabbed his arm, pulling him into a proper sitting position. Bucky was definitely strong enough to pick him up and carry him to his room, but both of them knew that that would be far too embarrassing, so Steve forced himself to help the other man get him on his feet. Evangeline braced his other arm and Steve wrapped the injured arm around her as soon as he was upright. His other arm went around Bucky's shoulders and he leaned all of his weight on the other man, content to just have Evangeline pulled close. As long as she was with him, he knew she was safe.

Slowly, Bucky dragged him back to his bedroom. It took a few minutes, but he practically dumped him on the bed as soon as they were there. Steve would have made an annoyed comment if he wasn't so tired. Apparently he wasn't quite strong enough to go chasing Evangeline around the Tower. Not that he would tell her that. Then again, he didn't plan on letting her leave his side anytime soon either. Having her around was like a balm to a wound he hadn't known he'd had, soothing away the worry that continually plagued him whenever she was gone.

"You stay here. I'm going to the kitchen and then I'll be right back. I'm just going to make some soup," Evangeline informed him, glaring at him like he was going to leave.

"Stay." It came out more as a soft plea than a demand, but Evangeline's face softened and she leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips. He reached up and cupped her cheek, eyes locking on hers. Steve thought he heard Bucky leave the room, but he didn't much care either way. His attention was solely focused on Evangeline and her golden eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," she informed him seriously, brushing her fingers along his jaw. Steve sighed deeply, eyes blinking rapidly in an attempt to stay awake. He didn't want to miss a moment with her. "You need food; I'll make you some and be right back. I promise. But you need to stay in here and rest. As soon as the food is ready, I'll be back."

"I can't sleep without you here," Steve informed her. It was the truth. There was no way he would be able to calm down enough to sleep if she wasn't in the room with him. Besides, there were the nightmares to think about too.

"Then just rest. I'll send James in, he'll sit with you while I get the soup ready," she offered.

"No, it's fine. Go." Bucky wasn't the one he was worried about. He was worried about her. But showing her how worried he was wouldn't get him anywhere. After pressing a kiss into his forehead, Evangeline pulled away. She gently tugged the blankets up to cover him, gave him an affectionate pat on the chest, and turned to leave.

Steve forced his eyes to stay open, waiting for her to return.


	51. Heart-to-Heart in the Kitchen

**Hello, hello! Okay, this chapter came from nostalgia for James and Eve's friendship and a nasty cold. I miss writing James and Eve together because they make such good friends, even if James won't admit it. So here comes a heart-to-heart between Steve's bestest friends. Lol. As much of a heart-to-heart as James will have anyway. Let me know what you think because I kind of love this chapter. (Hint: I love all of them or I wouldn't post them.) There's definitely more fun coming soon, but enjoy the peace for the time being. Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews, they mean a lot to me!**

Eve pursed her lips as she stared at the recipe she'd written down years ago, glancing at the boiling pot of soup on the stove. Steve's kitchen was ridiculous. All the appliances were stainless steel, he had a double oven, and his fridge was big enough to fit a body in. The kitchen in her own apartment was tiny and rarely used considering there was a small cafeteria a few floors down that the SHIELD agents usually went to. If they did feel like cooking something, it was usually a small amount, nothing like what she was cooking at the moment.

The soup she was making was chicken noodle and the recipe was Nova's mother's recipe. Mama Mags used to make it for her when she was sick when she was home for the holidays. All of the Maddox children knew how to make it and Eve had been taught as well when Mama Mags had figured out that her timing was almost perfect when it came to cooking. It had to be in almost all aspects of her life. Most of the missions she planned were timed out to the minute. Not that they went as planned on a regular basis, but they were still planned.

As it was, she'd tripled the recipe. The original recipe only made enough for a few people and Eve had a feeling Steve was going to be starving while he was healing. Not only that, but he required more nourishment than any normal person. His body was fighting the wounds he'd received at an accelerated rate and that meant his metabolism was amped up to more than even he was used to.

"So, any of this familiar?" Eve asked, turning to face James. He had a peculiar look on his face, brow furrowed slightly and lips turned down at the corners just enough to notice. He was sniffing the air slightly and Eve wondered what was up with him. Usually, all of his expressions looked the same to her. Today, she could see something was different. Whether that was good or bad was up to interpretation.

"The smell. It smells familiar," James informed her, shaking his head slightly. Eve glanced at the kettle she was using (yes, it had to be a kettle because a regular pot was too small) and thought for a moment.

Mama Mags had taught her how to make the soup, yes, but she wasn't the one who had started the recipe. That was before her time. She'd mentioned once learning it from her father, Grandpa Dugan. Of course James recognized the smell. He'd probably eaten it before. Though, Grandpa Dugan's soup tended to have more alcohol in it than anything Eve made… Still, it was familiar to James for a reason.

"I'm sure you've had chicken noodle soup before. It's a common food for feeding the sick." Eve hadn't told him about Grandpa Dugan. It was supposed to be a secret from the two super soldiers, but she'd told Steve. Telling James was a lot more complicated than telling Steve, though. She was unsure how he would react, knowing that Dum Dum Dugan was still alive after all these years. Especially when he wasn't particularly fond of Nova, his granddaughter.

"Maybe." He didn't sound the least bit assured, but Eve left it at that. Maybe she'd ask Steve about telling him. Steve would have a better idea of how he would react. It was completely possible James didn't remember Grandpa Dugan. He had a hard time remembering his past, according to the files. Whether or not the files had the whole story, Eve didn't know. As far as she knew, he recognized the Howling Commandos from their exhibit at the Smithsonian. There wasn't really an answer to if he remembered them or not.

"You know, Steve isn't going to stay in bed unless someone is with him all the time," Eve mentioned, wondering what he thought of the situation. Sometimes, it was therapeutic to talk to James. He didn't say much back and usually sat in silence, but she was comfortable with that if he was. Not only that, but it forced her to come up with solutions. Sometimes, though, it was nice to have him give feedback. Especially when the problem included Steve.

"Unless you're with him."

"What?" Eve frowned, unsure what he meant.

"Not someone. He won't stay in bed unless _you_ are with him," James informed her, like it made the most sense in the world. Eve pursed her lips as she thought this over, turning back to stir the soup a little.

Steve had been asking for her ever since he'd gotten out of the ice. The Hawk and Natasha both mentioned it and she'd been sort of concerned at the time. He'd been in the ice, hurt. It made sense he'd want her there when she'd been the one to help with his nightmares. But afterward, when he was safe, she'd figured that that inherent fear would go away. Instead, it seemed to be getting steadily worse, if him getting out of bed when he shouldn't was any indication.

"Do you know why he wants me with him all the time?" Eve finally dared to ask. Most men she'd dated (all briefly) hated being constantly monitored. At least, that was how they put it. It wasn't like she was bugging their apartment or anything, but they'd all claimed that clingy wasn't attractive. Steve seemed to be the complete opposite, but she didn't want to screw up with him. Taking time away had seemed like a good idea, especially when he needed rest.

"You were threatened." James kept to his minimum word answers and Eve hummed, mind whirling until she spun to face him, spoon pointed at him like a weapon. He tensed a little, but didn't reach for a weapon. In the back of her mind, she counted that as a win, but she had more important things to think about.

"That's why you haven't left me on my own, isn't it?!" she accused, wrinkling her nose at him. James just gave her a pointed look, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "I can't believe you two are taking the words of a HYDRA madman so seriously! So he knew my name; it's not like there was a HYDRA swarm waiting to kill me at Sam's house. The chances of them caring that I'm still alive are very slim, not to mention that I've survived them a few times now."

"You're in danger." James just wasn't taking no for an answer.

"This is going to piss me off, isn't it?" It was a completely rhetorical question and James seemed to recognize that, simply raising one eyebrow in response. Eve shook her head, turning back to stir the soup again. "Natasha said something weird the other day I've been meaning to ask you about: why did you accept the assignment to protect me?"

Eve added some salt to the soup, glancing over her shoulder at the man she'd become friends with. They were an odd pair. He was an experienced assassin that had a number of kills spanning decades under his belt and she was a woman who kept his previously forgotten best friend from getting himself killed. She wasn't super and she couldn't take him in a fight, but that didn't seem to bother him in the least. In fact, it probably helped matters that she wouldn't suddenly attack him.

"Steve liked you," James answered, as if that was answer enough. She wasn't letting him get away with that.

"I was his communications specialist. He didn't even know who I was for real. And, besides, you didn't have to keep me safe. Someone else could have. You're one of the most experienced agents SHIELD has ever encountered and you took a bodyguard detail. That doesn't strike you as odd?" Eve pushed, wrinkling her nose. He was avoiding the question; hopefully he'd stop. James just shrugged his flesh shoulder slightly.

"Steve liked you. If you died, he'd be upset. Seemed like a good enough reason," James answered. "Besides, it would be a pain in the ass if you died."

"Oh, you big softie," Eve waved the spoon at him, rolling her eyes heavenward. Getting straight answers out of the two of them was like pulling teeth. Not only because James was quiet naturally now, but because he was as stubborn as Steve when he had a mind to be. It was no wonder they were such good friends.

"You're soup's going to boil over," James pointed out and Eve spun, blowing on the bubbles and waving a hand uselessly over the top.

She flicked off the burner and sighed as the bubbles started to go down, staring at the soup she'd made. There was enough in the kettle to feed a small army, just enough to keep Steve fed for the time being. She'd probably have to make something else later, but at least they had groceries now that weren't spoiled. James had gone through the fridge and thrown out half the stock because it was all bad. Apparently, Tony's cleaning service hadn't done that for the superheroes.

"Thank you, but I still realize you're avoiding the subject," Eve informed him, turning to glance over her shoulder as she moved to grab a bowl out of the cabinet. James just gave a half shrug again, not seeming to care.

Shaking her head, Eve ladled some soup into a large, large bowl and grabbed a spoon out of the drawer. The spoons were, at least, normal sized. The bowls, not so much. There weren't any cereal bowls in the kitchen, just large Tupperware bowls that seemed to be what Steve used for cereal and the like.

"If you want some, help yourself; it's really good. Mama Mags used to make it when the kids were sick. Still does if the grandchildren catch anything. Family recipe." Eve motioned to the stove and James gave it a long look, his expression still pulled into a slight frown. She still wasn't sure what he was thinking when he made that face, but she wrote it off for the time being. James was capable of taking care of himself and he'd proven it multiple times. Right now, Steve needed her attention. Especially if he wasn't going to sleep if she wasn't with him.

"You're good for him." Eve froze at the entrance to the living room, turning to look at James, who was watching her with that unreadable expression on his face, steel blue eyes on her face as if he could read the truth of her soul in her eyes. She stared back at him for a moment, unable to blink. If she blinked, the spell would break and his words would be a memory.

No matter how many people told her they looked good together, that Steve liked her, that she was lucky, it meant more hearing it from James. James, who was Steve's best friend. James, who would protect him to the death, even if he wasn't quite aware of it himself yet. James, who liked to pretend he didn't care about anything when really, she was sure he cared way too much. She wouldn't be the one to break his shell. They were friends, but they weren't that close. She wasn't sure anyone would be able to break the shell he'd built around himself, but she hoped someone would. That he'd find someone who he worked with seamlessly, like she worked with Steve. Her heart went out to him for a moment, the knowledge that he was just as broken as her sliding through her.

"I try to be. That's all I can do," Eve answered because he needed to know that. That being broken wasn't the end of everything and, sometimes, someone came along who could fill in the cracks. Steve was good at that.

James just nodded like he understood all the things she hadn't said and she wished he was someone else so she could walk over and hug him without him freezing up and stiffening in her arms. Someone, somewhere, had hurt him so terribly he couldn't accept affection and Eve remembered what that was like. God, did she remember. She'd had an entire family behind her, not her blood, but her family nonetheless. James had Steve. And now he had her. And, if he would let them, she was sure the Maddox family would be there too.

"Take some," Eve held up the bowl in her hand and nodded to the kettle on the stove, meeting his eyes sincerely. "It's really good."

With that, she turned and walked away. James needed someone, but that someone wasn't her. And the man who did need her was in the next room, waiting patiently, even though he was in pain and should be sleeping.


	52. Ex-Girlfriend Blues

**Hello everyone! So, another day, another chapter. We get to see a little more of Eve and Natasha together because their friendship is important to me too. I love Eve and Bucky, but Natasha's a close second. In the Avengers group anyway. There's also some talk about Peggy Carter and Sharon Carter, Steve's exes. Well, Peggy isn't exactly an ex, but yeah. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Hang tight because there's more action coming!**

When Eve walked into the bedroom, Steve's head immediately turned to find her, his eyes seeking hers out with deadly precision. He smiled at her as she held up the soup and she shook her head at him, moving to set the bowl on the bedside table to help him sit up. It was a stupid idea because he didn't bother to wait for her help, instead forcing himself upright with whatever strength he'd managed to accrue while she was making him lunch.

"You're supposed to be resting, remember?" she teased gently, brushing a hand over his forehead reflexively. He was slowly cooling down, the fever receding as his healing kicked in for real. It was reassuring and she let her lips quirk when he automatically leaned into her caress. He turned and pressed a kiss into her palm when she brushed her fingers down his cheek, knowing he enjoyed the feel of her cool fingers against his flushed skin.

"I am resting. That doesn't mean I need to sleep," he pointed out.

"You're full of shit," she accused, knowing that it was true. He just shrugged with his smile growing, obviously agreeing even if he wouldn't tell her so. Moving away, Eve grabbed the bowl she'd gotten him and handed it over, perching on the edge of the bed next to his hip. "Eat up, Captain Smartass. You need fuel to heal."

"That's a new one," he observed about her nickname, not seeming the least bit bothered. Then again, why would he be? It wasn't like she was being completely ridiculous with her nicknames for him. Most of them were incredibly spot-on, even Maria and Natasha had seemed impressed with her ability to sum him up in only one or two words.

"You deserved a new one after this last stunt. Honestly, I should never let you out again," Eve complained, shaking her head at him. He just took a bite of the soup, glancing down in surprise.

"This tastes exactly like…" he trailed off, eyes going far away. Eve let him have a moment to just remember. The memories weren't as far away for him and she let him have a moment to remember his old friends, his old life. A twinge of discomfort ran through her at the thought of the women he'd loved before, but she pushed it away. She couldn't live up to Peggy Carter or even Sharon Carter, but they were in the past and she got to share his present. That had to be enough.

"Dum Dum Dugan's. It's a family recipe that Mama Mags taught to me when I was nineteen. Nova and I were running around one holiday and she snagged me to teach me all the old family recipes. Elise knows them too. All the kids do," Eve explained softly, not wanting to interrupt whatever he was thinking. It didn't seem to work as he came back to himself and smiled at her again, this time the smile not quite meeting his eyes.

"Back in the day, Dum Dum was more likely to blow things up than cook," Steve informed her as if he hadn't gotten lost in his thoughts a moment ago. Lost in a past she wasn't a part of.

"I think that's where Nova gets the mechanics from. Sure, her dad's an engineer, but blowing things up is a habit she hasn't quite kicked yet," Eve shook off the part of her that wanted desperately to _ask_. About his past. About Peggy and Sharon and what had happened between them. Of course, she knew the story about Peggy from the files and the woman herself, but the story of Sharon was a vague rumor and what she'd pieced together from Steve after it happened and he'd almost gotten himself killed. All she knew was that Sharon had passed on information Steve had given her to the CIA, which she was currently working for. Eve knew that Steve had been upset, very upset. Heartbroken. It was the first time she'd seen him so devastated and she didn't want to see it again. But, God, she wanted to know if she measured up.

"Sounds like Nova's a handful," Steve offered.

"Definitely. But she's a good friend and she doesn't blow up anything overly important," Eve shrugged, used to Nova's propensity for pyrotechnics. One of the many reasons she wasn't allowed to mess with Eve's computers.

"Is there more of this?" Steve asked and Eve felt her jaw drop in surprise when she glanced in his bowl to see that the soup was almost gone already. His eyes were clearing of that look he got when he was thinking about the past and Eve knew it was safe to leave to get him another bowl full.

"Of course. I made enough to feed an army. Or, you know, you," she quipped, taking the bowl back. Steve smirked and rolled his eyes as she started for the door.

Starting into the hallway, Eve let her smile drop, wondering if she could ask Steve the questions that were suddenly burning in her mind. She wasn't stupid. He'd loved women before. There had been rumors he was going to ask Sharon to marry him. Okay, Natasha had perpetrated that rumor, but it was still valid. He might have been. They hadn't talked much about his relationship status while on missions and Eve hadn't pushed when he'd broken up with her. Anyone who'd read the files knew about Peggy's story, but Eve had gotten an account first hand and they weren't reassuring. Sure, only one kiss had been exchanged, and they weren't dating, but Peggy had loved Steve fiercely. For the rest of her life.

Living up to a legacy like that was damn near impossible, no matter that she was growing to realize her feelings for Steve ran deeper than she'd originally assumed. It was easy to be with him, to fall for him. He was the great American hero. But he was also an amazing man and that was probably more attractive than his superhero alter ego all together. Especially when he was so fiercely determined not to leave her.

"You okay?" Eve almost jumped when a voice interrupted her musing. Natasha was standing in the doorway of the apartment with an eyebrow raised. Her hair was red again, a bit darker than before and straightened out. The blonde was completely gone and it looked like she'd cut it a little, trimming the edges into something softer.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I didn't see you," Eve forced a smile, but Natasha just frowned at her, following her into the kitchen.

"All right, now tell me the real problem," Natasha demanded firmly. Eve glanced in the direction of Steve's bedroom, wondering if he'd hear if she told Natasha her thoughts. It wasn't like Natasha would tell him, Natasha was a master secret keeper, even from her own team. And it wasn't Steve's fault she was being ridiculous.

"I just… Do you think Steve loved Sharon Carter?" Eve asked, glancing away from the woman and scooping some soup into the bowl.

"I don't know if it was love, but yeah, he liked her. They dated for over a year; of course he liked her," Natasha informed her and Eve fought a flinch. Sharon was everything Eve wasn't. Beautiful, strong, whole. She was a specialist and practically a superhero in her own right. Agent 13 was a legend in SHIELD. Eve had met her at family reunions with Nova as well. The Dugans brought in all the Howling Commando families and called them family reunions, so Eve was familiar with all the descendants, the ones that worked with SHIELD and those who went outside the agency. Sharon had been one of the few she hadn't really gotten along with, but that had more to do with the woman's willingness to lie at the drop of a hat than it had to do with anything about Steve. "I feel like that's not what the real question is here though. Just ask it; I won't judge you."

"I'm just being ridiculous," Eve hedged. Natasha might not judge her, but Eve was judging herself.

"It's not ridiculous. Just ask me. You know I'll be honest," Natasha reminded her. Eve frowned a little, unsure if she wanted honesty. The answer to her question was going to be painful.

"I shouldn't even be thinking about it. It's none of my business and, even if it was, it's something I should bring up to Steve. But he's sick and almost died and I can't…" Eve trailed off, sucking in a deep breath and setting Steve's bowl on the counter. She hadn't had the time to really break down and cry over what had happened. First there was the driving back to the Tower, Sam and Bucky on guard the entire time, then there was Steve being sick and refusing to let her go. Then there was finding groceries and checking on her own apartment, which had escaped any damage, thank god. Being in her own clothes again was immeasurably comforting, but she hadn't had a moment of rest to really let what happened sink in.

Natasha stepped forward and Eve almost jumped when the other woman pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly. Eve froze, slowly wrapping her arms around Natasha as well, accepting her comfort for what it was.

"You've had a rough few days. Sometimes, being on the sidelines is worse than being there. Being marble is a terrible burden," Natasha informed her. Eve sighed and pulled back, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I'm not marble. I'm terrible with emotions and I've never had a serious boyfriend. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about Steve. But he's Steve Rogers. He's Captain America. Not just the guy I like, but the guy America loves. He's had his great love. I don't… How can I measure up to that?" Eve knew her voice was getting higher and higher as she got more upset, but she couldn't stop it from pouring out. God, Natasha was a great interrogator.

"You're as much marble as I am. And I'll let you in on a little secret: Being strong involves feeling strongly too. That means everything you feel is so powerful, it can overwhelm you. I was honed to use anger, hate, and vengeance. You honed your own emotions," Natasha grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and got herself some soup as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then again, she could make anything look like the most natural thing in the world. It was part of what made her such a good agent. "And if Steve ever makes you feel like you need to measure up to someone else, I'll personally kick his ass for you. No one should make you feel that way."

"He doesn't. I told you, it's me." Eve blinked hard to hold back the tears that threatened, knowing that it was no use to cry.

"Then I'll tell you. Steve liked Peggy Carter. A lot. He doesn't talk about it much, but he associates her with home. The time he should have lived in. Sharon was like a memory, a photo negative of Peggy. Just as strong, just as stubborn, but different in all the ways that really mattered. She put her job above him and he was heartbroken when he found out. He would have given her everything. But she chose the CIA over him and he broke it off with her. Not the other way around. Peggy's the love he lost, the one that slipped away while he was sleeping, and Sharon was the life he could have had. He put his dreams on her and that wasn't fair, that wasn't who she was. And then there's you."

Eve didn't even want to know what Natasha thought of her and Steve. Steve was everything she wasn't. Strong, capable, confident. He was wonderful and Eve was normal. Better organizational skills than most, but not remarkable like Natasha and definitely not like Steve himself.

"Hey, listen to me. I've never seen him look at a woman like he looks at you. And I've certainly never seen Barnes try to get to know one of Steve's girlfriends. Honestly. When Sharon walked into a room, Barnes used to walk out. With you, he actually makes an effort to get to know you, to be your friend. That means something, especially coming from someone like him." Natasha smiled and grabbed a spoon, waving it at Eve, who frowned at her. James being her friend had little to do with Steve now. In fact, James tended to come to her when Steve was elsewhere, too busy to focus on him. Most of their friendly moments had come when she was alone and James came to see her. She had a feeling he was aware she wasn't as cautious around him as the others. "Steve might not even know it yet, but he adores you. And it's different than when he was with Sharon. I saw them together. You're… You're that sickening couple everyone looks up to. Loving and easy going, like you've been together since you were sixteen. It's a good thing. You two together is a good thing."

"I want to ask him, but it will hurt him and I don't want to do that." It was the honest truth. She was desperate to know now that she was thinking about it more, but she wasn't about to ask. Not when it could hurt him. Peggy had hurt because he'd woken up and she'd already had her lifetime. She'd married, had a life, helped build SHIELD. Sharon had hurt because she'd willingly betrayed him. Eve didn't want to bring that pain up again, especially when he was sick.

"If you don't bring it up, it'll hurt you. And he'd want that less," Natasha pointed out. Eve sighed, picking up Steve's bowl. Talking to Natasha had helped a little. She didn't feel like crying anymore. But she hadn't answered all of Eve's questions, nor could she. The only way to get answers was to talk to Steve himself, and she wasn't going to do that tonight.

"I know. But not right now. After everything that's happened… Besides, it's too soon to start being crazy. It's been what? Five days?" Eve almost laughed at the absurdity. Five days and she was already going crazy, wondering if she was good enough. That had to be some kind of record.

"Go on. Go feed the man you're dating. I'll finish eating and clean up a little," Natasha waved her away and Eve sent her a grateful smile, breathing out a sigh of relief. Natasha wasn't pushing for any more information and Eve was finally back in the Tower. At least she hadn't failed Nova too in all of this.


	53. Awkward Sex Talk

**TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of molestation and rape**

 **So, this one is actually kind of fun, even with the warning. There's no in depth imagery or anything, just a little talk between Eve and Steve. Thanks for all the love, I totally love reading reviews and I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far! I can't wait to hear what you guys are thinking from here on out!**

Steve woke up with a start, breath stuck in his throat on a scream that he gulped back, eyes flickering wildly as he tried to figure out where he was. Ice still froze his vision, thick and unyielding, panic gripping his chest as he realized that there was a chance he wouldn't live to finish what he'd started. He wouldn't get to see Evangeline again, wouldn't be able to protect her from the threats that lurked close by. Slowly, he woke to the truth, that he was in the Tower, in his bedroom, safe.

Looking sideways, he found Evangeline curled up next to him in her clothes, long hair splayed around her and her expression peaceful. In sleep, she looked younger, less like the woman he knew and more like the one she had probably been before DC. Before HYDRA was revealed and she became a prisoner of a war she shouldn't have been in.

The scars that lined her face told a different story, taking that imagery away and reminding him of why he was panicked out of his mind while in the ice. The things HYDRA had done weren't forgivable and he was in no mood to forgive anyway. If they got her again, he'd get her out and burn HYDRA to the ground once and for all if it came to that. He wanted to protect what was left of her innocence. All that pain could have made her angry, could have made her hate, could have made her as dangerous as Natasha, but she'd ignored the anger and the vengeance she could have wanted, instead protecting others from the same fate. It was admirable and he wondered how anyone could call him a hero when she was standing next to him.

"You're staring," her sleepy voice informed him. Steve rolled over to her, reaching out and pulling her closer. It was easier now, at the end of the day. His healing was kicking in and the strength was returning. Once he was strong enough, he'd take her away. From here, from HYDRA, from any threat. They'd go wherever she wanted. There had to be somewhere she was yearning to go and he'd take her anywhere in the world as long as HYDRA couldn't follow.

"Didn't know you were awake," he offered in return, resting his chin on the top of her head. Evangeline hummed and curled up tighter, cold fingers pressing against his chest when she reached out. She was dressed in clothing he'd never seen, a pair of slimming, soft leggings and a knit tee shirt dress that wasn't very warm. He pulled her in tighter, not bothering to ask why she wasn't under the covers. Apparently, she hadn't planned on falling asleep at all.

"You were thrashing," was her only answer before she sighed deeply and tried to snuggle deeper, pressing her nose into his chest as well. A bolt of guilt went through him at the thought of waking her up with his nightmares, but he ignored it as best he could. An apology would get him scoffed at and he wasn't interested in her telling him it was fine.

"Stay here tonight." It was an afterthought that felt strange on his tongue. Evangeline had been in his room at Sam's house so long he'd gotten used to it and he liked it that way. Having her close at night calmed him and even his nightmares didn't feel as bad when he could roll over and touch her, a physical reassurance that he was in this time, this place.

"I don't have pajamas." She didn't argue too much, not even bothering to open her eyes as she spoke to him. He wasn't sure he'd ever had that kind of trust from someone. Evangeline was the first woman he'd slept in the same bed with that didn't bolt upright if he thrashed in his sleep. She didn't seem the least bit afraid or worried, though he knew she was aware and keeping tabs on how he was doing to see if she needed to wake him up. But she wasn't pulling a gun or a knife. Sharon had kept both close by and it had unnerved Steve. It was odd to Steve that Evangeline trusted him so readily. He fought the urge to warn her he could hurt her, instead tightening his hold.

"You can wear one of my shirts," he informed her, nuzzling her hair. It tickled his nose in the best way, the thick mass soft under his chin.

"Okay…" Obviously, she wasn't awake enough to argue. Slowly, Steve let her go and Evangeline rolled to the edge of the bed before finally opening her eyes and standing up. She waved Steve down when he went to get up and help her find a shirt.

"Second drawer down on the left," he instructed as she reached his dresser. She opened it up and pulled out one of the shirts, starting to strip in front of him without thinking. Steve tried to look away, he really did, but she was beautiful and his and it was late and she wasn't aware of the implications and that was what had him watching her with honest interest, waking up a little more when she pulled her shirt off over her head, shaking her head a little to get her hair out of her face.

Below the knit shirt she had on a tank top and Steve watched as she moved to take the tank top off as well. He sat up hard, eyes zooming in on the bruises on her right shoulder, dark and definitely new.

"Where did that come from?" Steve practically barked, sudden worry stabbing him. Who had hurt her? Why hadn't she told him?

"Hm?" Eve hummed, glancing over her shoulder at him until she realized what had caught his attention. She twisted slightly to see the damage, frowning a little at the sight of the bruises. There were four on her back and, when she turned, one on the front, right where her collarbone started. He knew without an explanation that they were fingerprints. Fingerprint bruises pressed into her flesh. "Oh… That was an accident. James grabbed me a little too hard when he was trying to calm me down and his metal hand clenched hard enough to bruise. No big deal."

Steve almost growled at her, rage slowly starting up in his gut, firing through his veins easily. Bruising Evangeline wasn't an option. Even if it was Bucky and an accident. He'd grabbed her. Literally grabbed her, leaving behind bruises in his wake. Obviously, Steve needed to have a talk with Bucky about the power of his metal hand.

His thoughts were sidetracked when Eve stripped off her tank top, turning her back to him once again. Her back was a patchwork of scars, each one more concerning than the last. He'd seen some on Bucky's back, whip marks and wounds that came from more torturous things, but they were scarily terrible on her. Beautiful, in a horrifying way. He wanted to run his fingers over all of them, memorize every soft ridge and be able to tell the story behind each of them. He wanted to learn her in a way he'd never bothered to learn anyone before. If she trusted him enough, he would listen to the stories she kept hidden in her mind, horrors he was sure kept her up at night. Her pale skin barely had an inch without the disruption of the silvery scars, some pursed against the smooth expanse of her back.

All thoughts scattered when she pushed her pants down her legs, easily bending at the waist to take them off. With her standing ass end up, he looked away, unable to watch her like that. She was his girl, yes, but that didn't mean ogling her ass when she was half asleep was proper. He wasn't that big of a jackass. Besides, watching her change left him itching to reach out and grab her, pull her into him, clothing be damned.

Heat hummed through him for a different reason, his injuries all but forgotten as all the blood in his body rushed south, even as he attempted to stop the thoughts running through his mind.

Evangeline finished putting on his shirt and Steve drew his gaze back to her, almost choking on his own spit. His shirt was basically a dress on her, but her legs stuck out, bare and pale in the low lighting of the room, her auburn hair in a mess around her, eyes half lidded. She looked like every man's wet dream and Steve bit back a groan on seeing her, especially when he saw which shirt she'd chosen.

An image of his shield was splayed across her front, the star a white beacon in the dark. The dark blue of the shirt set off her ivory skin and she didn't even know what she was doing to him as she walked back to the bed and climbed in.

Steve deftly held the blankets up for her, biting into his cheek hard as she curled into the bed, his bed, resting her head against his pillows and scooting towards him with her golden eyes already falling closed as she reached out, cold fingers finding the shirt he was wearing and fisting there as she pulled herself closer. Steve wrapped an arm around her, curling up sideways so he could hide his own excitement.

Eve's eyes blinked open and she seemed to shake herself awake, eyes finding his in the dark.

"Are you alright? You don't sleep on your side," she yawned out the last part, burying her face in his chest to stifle the sound before pulling back to stare up at him, trying to read the truth in his eyes. She wasn't wrong. He slept on his back, used to barracks and military quarters, not used to having a large bed. Even when he was a child, he'd had a fairly small bed. Then again, it wasn't like he was a large guy back then, but it was still a habit.

"I'm fine; go back to sleep," he ordered, knowing immediately that it wasn't going to work. Especially when awareness slowly returned to her eyes, her fingers loosening in his shirt and her attention unwavering on his face. She raised a hand to brush over his forehead and his cheek again, fingers cool as always.

"You're a little flushed. Is your fever back? Did you take any of the medicine the doctors gave you?" Evangeline asked as she woke up more, moving to push up onto her elbows. Steve grit his teeth, every curse he knew running through his mind. God, could this get any more awkward? Then again, he didn't want to find out if it could…

"I feel fine. I promise." Not that he would tell her if he was in pain. She worried far too much without him admitting anything.

"Are you sure? Because I can get you medicine if you need it; it's only in the-" Eve trailed off when Steve rolled his eyes and reached up, pulling her down to press his lips into hers. She softened to his ministrations, mouth automatically opening for him. Steve weaved a hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head and tilting her just slightly, swiping his tongue along hers. She hummed and he watched her eyes slide closed as she relaxed, worry disappearing from her frame.

Steve rolled onto his back and she moved with him, crawling to hover over top of him, one hand braced on the shoulder that wasn't a mottled bruise. Ignoring the pain, Steve grabbed her by the hips and picked her up, moving her so that she was braced on her knees, sitting on his own hips. He gently bit her bottom lip, holding in a groan of satisfaction.

Evangeline pulled away abruptly, golden eyes snapping open. Steve raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her reply to what was really wrong with him. "You're…"

"Yeah," he prompted.

"That's…" Her face was hysterical and Steve chuckled, groaning when it rubbed him against her in a way that was decidedly fantastic. Evangeline buried her face in her hands, peeking at him between her fingers when he didn't talk to her immediately. "Oh my god…"

"I wasn't going to tell you; it's not a big deal," Steve shrugged slightly, grabbing her hips again and picking her up, gently moving her to sit on the bed by his side. He sat up, gritting his teeth as a stab of pain ran through him. It didn't deter him from the conversation they were having, however. It was honestly too funny to miss.

Evangeline was sitting on her knees, feet curled under her as she hid behind her fingers, obviously embarrassed. That hadn't been Steve's intent at all, but she was kind of cute when she was embarrassed. Her golden eyes blinked at him from behind her fingers and she was waiting for him to say something else, something that wouldn't force her to point out that, yes, she had that effect on him. Especially when she was willingly taking her clothes off in his presence.

"Haven't you had boyfriends before?" Steve finally asked, unsure how to proceed. It was hilarious to see her so awkward, but it was a little confusing too. He'd never thought about her dating anyone else and he found that it wasn't a pleasant thought process. Slowly, his reaction to her changing clothes was fading and he focused on Evangeline, curious and a little annoyed at himself.

"Well, I mean, yeah…" Evangeline trailed off and he noticed she was nibbling on her bottom lip again, fingers tangling in the bottom of his tee shirt. It rode up on her thighs, revealing more creamy flesh and more raised scars, his mind starting to kick in. Scars that high meant nothing good.

"And you didn't…" He found he didn't really have a good way to put it besides directly asking if she had ever had sex before. He wasn't a virgin so it wasn't fair to assume she was, especially in this day and age, but it was an inappropriate question to ask a lady. Even if the lady in question was his girlfriend and currently in his bed.

"Not really, no. I mean, not when I wanted to…" Evangeline's jaw clamped shut and Steve's eyes snapped to hers, the wide golden orbs focused on his face, panic in their depths. She obviously hadn't meant to say that out loud, but he'd already heard and his mind was already whirling with possibilities, none of them good.

"What does that mean?" Steve asked as gently as he could, reigning in his own rage at the thought of someone touching her _without permission_. It was annoying enough to think of someone touching her _with_ her permission, but _without_? It was unthinkable. How could someone do that to her?

"Um, well, HYDRA…" She bit into her lip hard and Steve tensed immediately. They'd taken enough from her, then they'd taken her virginity too? Had raped her?

He would make sure that those within HYDRA paid for what they had done. They would all pay for what they'd done to Evangeline. Steve clenched his jaw at just the thought, fists forming at his sides. He almost jumped when Evangeline's cool fingers brushed his hand, her golden eyes blinking up at him cautiously.

"I know you're upset with them, but there isn't anyone left. When they found me, Mama Mags figured out what had happened and ordered everyone to shoot to kill. Anyone who had hurt me died that day. There's no one left to hurt," she informed him, her voice soothing and soft. Steve uncurled one hand to take hers in his, wondering how she could be so calm in the face of something so terrible. It hadn't even happened to him and he was furious. How could she speak it like it didn't matter?

"How can you be so unaffected by it?" Steve asked, reaching out his other hand to pet her hair out of her face, wanting a good look at her expression. She winced a little and he knew that she wasn't unaffected. She was pretending to be.

"Honestly, I don't remember much. The therapists said that my mind sort of blocked out the worst parts of the torture as a coping mechanism. I might never remember what happened, and I'm fine with that. But I've had a long while to come to terms with everything. It still hurts; it's my past that was ruined and it changed my life, but I'm healing from it," she shrugged slightly and leaned into his hand, closing her eyes briefly. She looked at peace for the first time since this conversation started and Steve pulled her into him, pressing his lips into her forehead.

"Then we'll wait. As long as it takes until you're comfortable," Steve promised, lips brushing her forehead as he spoke. Evangeline pulled away just enough to look up, blinking at him warily.

"You're okay with that?" she asked, sounding heartbreakingly cautious.

"Hey, I told you, I'm in this for the long haul. Besides, in my time, it was expected that you wait until marriage," Steve reminded her, just to see her smile. "Did you think I'd say something else?"

"Others… haven't been as kind about it…" she offered, tilting her head down. Steve clenched his jaw for a second, wondering how many more names his personal hit list would have once he finished getting to know Evangeline. Honestly, how could people be so terrible to her? Had they never looked at her? Talked to her? She deserved so much more.

"Well, you know, I could beat the shit out of them for you. No one is going to arrest Captain America," Steve offered, softening a little when Evangeline snorted, looking up at him with a fond smile.

"Trust me, Nova put them through enough for a lifetime. None of them are ever going to remember me with a smile, that's for sure." Her smile broadened thinking about whatever Nova had done to her exes, obviously satisfied with whatever revenge plan Nova had come up with. Steve was more and more thankful for Nova's presence in Evangeline's life. He had never met Nova face to face, to his knowledge, anyway, but he would thank her one day. For watching out for Evangeline when he couldn't.

"The offer still stands if you change your mind," Steve shrugged a little and pulled Evangeline down onto the bed, laying on his back while she curled into his side, legs tangling with his. She threw one arm around his waist and fisted her hand in his tee shirt, resting her head on his chest.

"You're so full of shit," she murmured as she got comfortable. Steve pulled the blankets up and wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm not going to disagree," he informed her, grinning when she laughed. This, this was what he was fighting for.


	54. Catching Up

**Here we get to see some of our favorite Avengers and the plot moves forward. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I got some amazing reviews this last chapter and I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate them. As always, let me know what you think, I love hearing what you guys are thinking!**

Eve sighed, checking her fake email address again. There was no response from Grant and she was pretty sure there was never going to be. He had obviously assumed that SHIELD had turned its back on him and that was that. If he was HYDRA, Eve wasn't sure that SHIELD would win. Grant was trained the same way all SHIELD agents were and he had a cunning mind. If he got the right people backing him, which she was sure he would, he'd be unstoppable.

"If you keep doing that, your face is going to get stuck that way." Eve glanced up to see Tony Stark standing in the doorway to Steve's apartment, the elevator doors sliding shut behind him. He cut an impressive figure, about an inch over six feet with dark hair and a sharp goatee. He was dressed casually in a tee shirt and jeans, Metallica splayed across the front of his shirt. His hands were on his hips and he was watching her like he'd been there a while, one eyebrow raised in question.

"I thought you were still pretending you didn't know me," Eve shot back, shutting her laptop. There was every chance Tony was already aware of her communication with Grant Ward, but, if he wasn't, she wasn't about to let him in on that SHIELD secret.

"I never pretend I don't know you, Angel. You're just easy to overlook." And the jokes about her height weren't going away anytime soon.

"You know, the actor who played you in the movie adaptation of Iron Man is only, like, an inch taller than me," Eve pointed out, pursing her lips as Tony. They'd made multiple movies about his armor, usually animated, but the one they'd done that was live action was actually fairly accurate. Except for the height thing. And Tony was much more childish in person.

"He's five nine, actually, not that it matters. And you're still short. How is Capsicle doing?" Tony overlooked her jab, starting in to flop on the couch next to her. Eve sighed, but moved to allow him room. Technically, he owned the Tower and kicking him out would be frowned upon.

"Better. I think he'll be up and about the apartment soon considering I can't keep him in bed." Steve was proving almost impossible to wrangle. He insisted he was fine half the time and the other half he was complaining because he was bored. Eve had left him when he'd finally, finally fallen asleep after taking some of the medication the doctor had prescribed him.

"Good." Tony clapped his hands together excitedly and Eve shot him a distrusting look, knowing that him being excited was never good. "I'm planning a Halloween party. You're invited. So is Cap, if he's up to it. And the rest of your gang. You're going to need costumes, good costumes. And the Captain America suit doesn't count as a costume."

"Who said we were accepting this invitation?" Eve asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You forget, I've known you for ten years. That's practically your whole life. You'll accept. Halloween is one of your favorite holidays," Tony reminded her. Eve was honestly surprised he remembered. He'd shown up for one Halloween at the Dugan house and that was it. One offhand remark and he'd thought to keep it in his brain?

"Fine, you caught me. I love Halloween. That doesn't mean I like parties." Parties weren't really Eve's forte. She was too used to slinking around in the shadows to enjoy them and having that much attention on her was always a negative. Besides, she hadn't actually talked to Steve about the Halloween party yet and she didn't want to agree if he didn't want to go.

"You'll still come. Cap'll come too. He doesn't like parties, but he'll go if you ask him to. Now, how's your relationship going? Did you sleep with him yet?" Tony pressed, grinning like it was Christmas. Eve turned bright red as a result of what had happened the night before, wondering why everyone was so interested in her sex life. Honestly, Natasha asked, Nova asked, even Tony asked. Next, James would be asking her. God, she'd die of embarrassment if James asked her.

"Stop being a dick, Tony. If you shut up, I'll ask Steve about the party. But I'm not making any promises," Eve waved him off and Tony got up, still grinning.

"I'm taking that as you haven't had sex yet, but it's come up. Soon, Angel, soon. Anyway, the party starts at eight; be there by nine, and wear something sexy or I won't introduce you to the rest of the Avengers," Tony threatened, as if that was an actual threat. Even if he did talk to her at the party, which Eve was seriously doubting he would, it wasn't like Steve wouldn't introduce her to his friends. The only Avengers she hadn't met up close and personal were Dr. Banner and Thor. The second team of Avengers she wasn't really all that familiar with, but they seemed more laid back than the original team.

"Tony, I told you to leave her alone." Eve glanced over the back of the couch to see Natasha walking into the apartment, the Hawk right behind her.

"Hey, Eve, what's up? Didn't get to see you earlier," the Hawk offered, a friendly grin on his lips. Tony groaned, rolling his eyes as the Hawk vaulted the back of the couch and landed in the spot he'd been in, right next to Eve.

"I'm good. I was working before Tony came down," Eve informed him, sending Tony an exasperated look. He just frowned like a scolded child, obviously not liking that she wasn't excited by his Halloween party invitation. She would have been more excited if he had better timing. Her mood had plummeted on the realization that Grant wasn't about to contact her. It had been days, he would have responded to her by now and it wasn't like she could send another message, reminding him she was on his side. Because she really wasn't. Not unless he was on SHIELD's side.

"Fine, don't be excited. Widow, Big Bird, Halloween party. Don't be late," Tony spun and sauntered to the elevator, exiting the room like a king leaving the throne room. How Pepper put up with him, Eve would never know.

"Why does he call you your codename and me stupid names?" the Hawk turned in his seat to ask Natasha, who moved into the room and dropped into the recliner, curling her feet up under her like she planned on staying for a while. Both of them were acting like they'd come to visit instead of just stopping by.

"Because he knows I'll kill him if he calls me something stupid. How's Steve doing?" Natasha turned her attention to Eve, who sighed, shaking her head.

"He'd being a pain in the ass, as usual. Apparently, super soldiers don't like having to stay in bed because they almost drowned. He spent almost an hour trying to convince me he could get up and come out to the living room without help. I spent an hour reminding him that I'd kick his ass if he tried it," Eve informed them. The Hawk grinned, chuckling at the news. Natasha rolled her eyes, obviously having dealt with something similar.

"You should see this one when he's in medical. It's a nightmare. I had to tie him to the bed once. He can get out of handcuffs and he managed to get out of the rope after about four hours," Natasha commiserated. Eve raised an eyebrow at the Hawk, who just shrugged a little.

"Medical is for pansies. Besides, those white coats give me the creeps. I don't get how they expect you to sleep when they're the things of nightmares," he complained, crossing his arms petulantly. His biceps bulged with the movement and it reminded Eve that he was a master assassin, even if he didn't act like it. He could probably kill her six different ways with his pinky finger and not even flinch as her body fell, something that wasn't exactly calming.

"He's just a baby," Natasha sneered at the Hawk, who stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation. Before they could get into a slapping match, Eve cut in.

"You two are going to Tony's Halloween party?"

"Oh, yeah, that. It's mandatory for the Avengers. Publicity and the like. I already have my costume," Natasha informed her, waving a hand like it didn't matter. Eve was honestly surprised that she'd want to go to a costume party. It would be harder to pick out anyone meaning them harm. Then again, Natasha could read body language better than almost anyone. She had no need to be nervous.

"Besides, it'll be fun. Stark invites tons of people and there's an open bar all night," the Hawk added, grinning. Eve didn't want to know what he got up to with an open bar.

"He wants Steve and I to go, but we don't have costumes and I don't know if Steve will be up to it in three days' time," Eve offered, pursing her lips in thought.

"Just because Steve doesn't go doesn't mean you can't. You can be my date. He has to trust you with me," Natasha grinned maliciously and Eve didn't want to know what she'd do to Steve if he told her she couldn't go. Honestly, she kind of found the thought appealing. It would be more appealing if Steve could go with her, but that was up in the air at the moment.

"Are you around tomorrow?" Eve asked instead of talking about what she was planning on doing with Steve.

"Nope. I'm gone the next two days. We've got a mission going on," Natasha motioned between her and the Hawk, both of whom grinned at the thought.

"I thought you guys were injured," Eve reminded them, frowning.

"Dr. Cho put the synthetics on. We're good for work. The machine doesn't work on Cap because of his advanced DNA, so he has to heal the old fashion way," the Hawk informed her, smirking. Obviously, he thought that was hilarious. "For once, he's the one who takes longer to heal."

"You could ask Barnes to go with you. He is your bodyguard, after all," Natasha offered, shrugging when Eve glanced at her curiously.

"I'll wait and talk to him," Eve nodded to herself and turned the conversation to Natasha's hair, wondering silently if it was a good idea to go to the party. Steve probably wouldn't be happy, but she could get him a costume just in case…


	55. James's Fashion Advice

**Happy Easter everyone! Today I'm putting up an Easter treat, though it's really Halloween in the story… Anyway, thanks for all the awesome reviews, favorites, and follows. I love them and I'm glad everyone's enjoying. This is a little James and Eve time because they're my favorite BFFs and I love having them together. Just so everyone knows, I apologize for the cliffhanger. It was just too good for me to do anymore with this chapter. Hang onto your seats because from here on out, there's a crap ton of action! Let me know what you think!**

"We're just going to get costumes and we'll be back. No need to freak out," Eve promised Steve as she tucked him into bed. His jaw was clenched tightly and a scowl was permanently etched on his lips. He'd been upset since she'd decided to go shopping. When she'd asked about the party, he'd been all for it. Until he'd heard that she'd have to go out of the Tower to get a costume. Really, it wasn't a big deal. James had agreed to go with her and he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her.

"I don't like it," he persisted, still scowling.

"James is going with me and you know he won't let anyone hurt me. Now, stop pouting and promise you'll stay in this bed until we get back. If you don't, I'll make you take your meds," Eve threatened. Steve huffed out an annoyed breath, knowing she was serious. His medicine made him tired and he hated it. He had even gone so far as refusing it that morning. She'd let him on the condition that he still take it easy. Apparently, taking it easy meant walking into the kitchen while she was cooking breakfast, watching TV in the living room when she'd gone to get some more clothes, and just generally being a pain in her ass.

"I'll stay here as long as you're back in two hours. Two hours, Eve. I want a text every half hour," he ordered, giving her a stern look. Eve wanted to laugh at him, but knew that he would get even more upset if she didn't make the promise. Besides, if he stayed in bed, it was worth it.

"Three hours and I'll text every twenty minutes," Eve compromised. She had no idea where to go to get a costume and trying it on would take a few minutes at least. Besides, it would be nice to get out of the Tower. She'd been cooped up for a while and would enjoy the time away from her annoyingly persistent boyfriend.

"Fine. Go. Be safe." Steve squeezed her hand and Eve leaned down to kiss him, pressing her lips against his. Warm and slightly rough, his lips were perfect. To make things even, Eve cupped his jaw in her palms and started pressing her lips all over his face. Kissing his cheeks, his forehead, the tip of his nose, his jaw, his chin, the corner of his lips…

Steve groaned, pulling away with a grin on his lips.

"Go before I decide to keep you," he waved her off and Eve pressed another kiss to his lips quickly, ducking out of his hold when he went to pull her into the bed.

"I'll be back soon. Be good and don't get out of bed!" she called back as she hurried from the room, his annoyed noise following her into the living room where James was waiting.

"Ready?" he asked, voice a rough growl. His hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and a brown bomber jacket covered his arm. Gloves were on his hands to hide the metal prosthetic and he'd donned jeans and motorcycle boots to keep the look up.

Eve had chosen a sweater dress with long sleeves and a cowl neck, the material knitted and warm. She'd pulled on leggings to keep her legs warm and boots that gave her an extra two inches in height and tied up her shins. A leather jacket that Natasha had made her take was pulled on over the sweater dress and she had a purple knit hat pulled over her curls. Together, they looked like complete opposites.

"Yep. We have three hours to be back and I have to text him every twenty minutes. If I'm late, I have a feeling he'll call in the National Guard, so don't let me be late," Eve begged James, who just quirked his lips slightly and motioned her towards the elevator. Her hand automatically checked on Steve's dog tags, which she was still wearing. He hadn't asked for them back and she actually liked to have them. A permanent link to the man she was in love with.

God, she was in love with him…

Eve sighed a little as James followed her into the elevator, knowing that there was a big difference between admitting it to herself and admitting it to him. And, honestly, he was the man she could see herself marrying. Having a life with. He was the only boyfriend she'd had that she could see a future with. Her future. Whether he felt the same way was up in the air. He'd promised he'd take care of her and said he was in it for the long haul, but she wasn't sure how far that went. Until she was safe? Until HYDRA was gone? Until the end?

The ride down to the lobby was silent and people stared when they got off the elevator together, obviously surprised to see someone from the upper levels that looked like normal human beings. Eve kept the act up as they walked out of the lobby and into the street, the wind blowing past them as they started to walk toward the cluster of stores down the street.

"Are you going to go to the Halloween party?" Eve asked James, tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat. It was chilly outside and she wished she'd grabbed gloves, now that she'd thought about it. Her fingers brushed her phone and the money that Steve had pushed on her, promising that it wasn't a big deal for him to buy her a costume for the party. His logic had been that she was planning on picking one up for him anyway, but she'd argued for a while before accepting. After all, he shouldn't feel like he needed to buy her things. Eve had money saved up and she had a good job, even if SHIELD wasn't really paying. Tony paid her a good sum for the lack of work that she did for him.

James shook his head to answer her question, eyes on the rooftops and passing pedestrians, his movements natural. To anyone who was watching them, he would look like a curious tourist and her the tour guide. She was struck by how good he was at espionage, wondering if he could beat Natasha at that game.

"Natasha offered to take me if Steve doesn't feel up to it," Eve informed him. James glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his attention returning to the surrounding buildings after that.

"Steve will take you," he kept his voice completely serious and Eve looked up at him in surprise. James wasn't really the kind to idly gossip and he rarely answered her when she was talking to him. Most of the time it was like talking to herself and she just told him things. It was odd that he'd feel the need to answer her, not that she was against it.

"He might not feel well enough. He's still healing," Eve reminded the other man, pursing her lips in thought.

"He'll take you," James reiterated. Eve nodded slightly when his attention turned to her and he stared, waiting for her to agree. Once she'd agreed, he turned back to keeping watch, obviously none too concerned about the fact that Steve might still be in pain.

A few minutes later, they moved into a store that had costumes in the front windows; James had pointed it out to her, letting her lead the way into the building while he watched her back. Moving immediately to the racks with the costumes, Eve smiled at the greeting from the young girl behind the counter before starting to eye the selection.

"People wear these?" James asked a moment later, pointing to the 'Naughty Nurse' outfit that was on display. Most of the choices were variations of the same thing and Eve wrinkled her nose at it, glancing up at James's narrowed eyes.

"Sadly, yes. In public. We're looking for something with more coverage," Eve informed him, motioning to her body as a whole. Honestly, the outfit needed more material in the skirt, the bust, and basically everywhere else. How someone could dress in one of those outfits without falling out, Eve wasn't sure, but she wasn't about to test it.

James went silent after that, trailing her around the store with a disinterested look on her face. She held up a 'Naughty Captain America' outfit for him to see and actually got his lips to twitch before demanding he hold it so she could take a picture. Their twenty minute mark was coming up anyway and Eve snapped a photo with a bland James next to the outfit, quickly tapping out a message to Steve, asking him if she should wear that.

His reply was almost instantaneous. 'Not in public.'

She typed out a quick response, smiling as she thought of his face at the sight of the costume. 'Come on, I would look just like you!'

'No one else needs to see you dressed in something like that. Mine.' He answered, to which Eve bit into her bottom lip to hold in a laugh. His her ass. She would wear what she wanted, but he already knew that. He also knew that she wasn't seriously considering buying the outfit, though. There was no way she was walking around in something that showed that much skin.

For the first time in a long time, Eve contemplated her scars. She'd gotten comfortable with James, Natasha, Steve, and Sam. She hadn't worried about her scars much while she was staying with them. Natasha understood on a deep level where they'd come from and what she'd gone through to get them and so did Sam and James. Steve hadn't ever mentioned going through something similar, but he also didn't judge her in the least for bearing her scars. In fact, he seemed to like running his fingers over the slightly raised bumps along her skin, something that confused her and brought a slight amount of relief. She hadn't ever thought someone would find her scars as anything other than horrifying.

'I'll just get you a matching outfit. Then no one will look at me.' She typed back, smirking evilly. Two could play that game.

Tucking her phone away, Eve let James lead her out of the store and back onto the street. There weren't very many full body costumes and the ones that were available were mostly for men. Women's costumes were hard to find if you wanted them to cover skin.

The next stop was a bust as well and Eve sighed a little, checking her phone again.

'Not funny, doll.'

'Yes, funny.' Eve answered, a soft smile curving her lips. That nickname was going to be the end of her. Eve looked up, planning on asking James to stop at the next coffee shop, when her blood ran cold.

Sitting at a table on the street, casually sipping a cup of coffee, was Grant Ward.


	56. Old Friends, New Enemies

**Hello everyone! Thank you all for the support and the reviews, I'm loving them. I'm glad you are all enjoying the story and thanks for all the new reads. Grant Ward is here! I've been waiting the entire story for this moment, you have no idea. I think I'm probably more excited than you guys are. There are only 7 chapters left, so hang in there.**

 **I'm working on the next in the series, I don't have a name for it yet, but it's Bucky/OC. I'm not making any promises on when it will be out, just that it will be posted after this one is over, so keep an eye out if you're interested. Now get ready for protective/terrified Eve!**

Eve's hand snapped out and she grabbed James's arm without warning, dragging him into the alley they were about to pass. The only reason she got him to go was because he let her, having glanced down to see her rapidly paling face. Eve could practically feel the blood draining, her heart starting to beat hard in her chest.

He'd found her. Instead of messaging her back, Grant had decided to find her. And he'd somehow figured out she was at the Tower.

"Eve, what?" James grabbed her arms and shook her gently, eyes searching hers critically. Eve shook her head, her hands starting to shake as she patted her pocket, yanking out her cell phone and shoving it towards his chest. He caught it when she let go, releasing her to do so, and Eve took a step back, breathing deeply to calm her nerves. If this was going to work, she was going to have to appear as calm as possible. Especially if James was going to be watching.

"They're here," Eve informed him. James' gaze turned predatory as he automatically checked the rooftops above them and the street they'd left behind. She had no way of knowing if Grant had seen James, but she couldn't risk it. She couldn't put him at risk.

James wasn't exactly going to be happy about her plan, but he was her friend and she couldn't put him in danger, especially not when HYDRA was involved. She knew how dedicated he was to keeping her safe, but she was just as dedicated to keeping him safe. And letting the Winter Soldier get back into HYDRA hands was definitely a no-go. If something happened, he had to get away, even if she didn't. And she already knew that she wouldn't, not with Grant Ward looking for her.

"HYDRA," James growled, obviously catching on quickly.

"Listen to me and listen well. It's the man I told you about, the one I contacted. He's here," Eve explained quickly in a low voice. She clenched her jaw and reached up to press into the area right behind her ear, breaking the shell of the comms unit that was positioned in her inner ear. It was untraceable and linked up already, ready to be used as long as the other comms came online. All she had to do was make sure that they did come online and she'd have a permanent link to her team.

"We need to go," James reached for her and Eve backed away quickly, sidestepping his grab.

"No. You need to go. Now. I have to talk to him. I need you to take that," she ordered, motioning to her phone, "and call the first name in my contacts and tell them what happened." Eve reached out to brush her hand over his arm gently before starting to push him further into the alley, away from her and the danger that lurked around them.

"I'm not leaving you in HYDRA hands," James denied, reaching for her again with a dark look on his face. Eve steeled herself, knowing that it would take more than logic to get him to go. He wouldn't leave her. It was his mission to keep her safe and this was the opposite of safe. Her blood ran cold at just the thought of what HYDRA was capable of, but this was a running op as soon as she had eyes on Grant. And she was the agent who was going to pull it off, even if she had to piss off all her friends to do so.

"Yes, you are. James, you have the information to find me. If we both get captured, I'm dead. You need to go and warn everyone, tell them where I am and how to get me back. You can't save me from this. If I run, they'll kill me. I have to go willingly for this to work," Eve informed him, her voice changing as she put on her best comms voice. He flinched at the sound of it and her words, his expression shutting down. Whatever was happening in his head, she was pretty sure she didn't want to know or be the cause of it, but she was desperate. "They'll need you to find me. Go back to the Tower. Call the number. Find me."

Eve turned and walked back out onto the sidewalk, not letting him see her immediate fear. He watched her go. Eve let herself glance back once, seeing him jogging towards the other end of the alley, a weapon in hand and her phone tucked away, hopefully safely. Whatever was going to happen, at least James was prepared and away from the danger. Eve believed that he would get away and find her when she needed him. She had faith in Sergeant James Barnes.

It only took a minute to reach Grant, but it felt like the longest minute of her life as she took slow steps toward him. If she went with him, it was likely that she would be killed. Meeting him face to face had never actually been considered except in theory. Maria had insisted they'd send an agent to meet him and debrief him. No one wanted her to be the one to talk to him and Eve accepted that. She hadn't considered how terrifying it would be to walk right into HYDRA clutches when she knew how terrible they could be. It was like all her worst nightmares rolled into one Grant-sized package.

"Seraphim, how good of you to join me. Or should I call you Eve now?" Grant smiled at her when she got to his table and motioned to the seat across from him that was empty. Eve sat, eyeing the various people around them. At least half were HYDRA, all armed. She wasn't going anywhere. "Where did your friend go?"

"I didn't know you were in town. You never answered my message." He'd seen James. Eve prayed to God and Heaven above that James got away. More than just her life would be forfeit if HYDRA got their hands on the Winter Soldier again.

"I thought a personal visit was in order. Especially after everything that our organization did to you. I sincerely apologize for that. HYDRA is turning over a new leaf now, though. You could be an asset," Grant offered, eyes sliding over her exposed skin. She knew he saw the scars and cataloged them, his face carefully blank and his words chosen with just as much thought. "I want to talk to you. But not here. It's too… exposed. You never know who could be sniffing around."

Eve frowned, especially when a waitress stopped by the table and set a drink in front of her without being summoned. On the paper coffee cup was written a message. 'HYDRA is always watching.'

Stiffening, Eve looked up at Grant, who was watching her carefully. She knew he saw someone different than the girl he'd known. Everything that had happened had changed her and some things weren't for the better. He was seeing years of nightmares written in her skin, frowns drawn across her lips. He could see the difference and it was the first time he'd laid eyes on her after the fall of SHIELD. Everything was new and concerning to him. At least, the Grant she'd known would be concerned. She wasn't sure about this one. Whatever had happened to Grant after DC, he was someone she didn't know now. The Grant she knew would never hand her over to HYDRA knowing what they would do to her.

"How long have you been watching me?" Eve asked softly, keeping a close eye on the HYDRA goons around her. They were finishing up their coffees and she knew their move would be made soon. In the shuffle of people, her disappearing would be inconspicuous. No one would notice her struggling, if she did struggle at all. Struggling would get her killed, but it was worth it if she was going back to be tortured again.

"Long enough to know that you've been keeping some interesting company. I'm surprised you caught the attention of the Avengers. What made you change your mind?" Grant asked, raising an eyebrow. He kept his tone friendly, but she knew others were listening to their conversation.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Eve quoted, raising an eyebrow. Grant frowned a little, leaning back in his chair.

It was the signal the HYDRA assholes were waiting for and everyone stood up at once, ready to leave. Eve was dragged from her seat none too gently and pushed towards the street where a black van was parked by the curb. She didn't try to struggle from their hold until the door of the back of the van opened and they shoved her in without care. Landing hard on her back, Eve kicked out viciously, catching the man who had dragged her right in the crotch. She managed to hit another in the shoulder before they were slamming the door shut. She yanked her feet in before they could hurt her, scowling at the rough handling. There was a cage between her and the front seat and Grant slid into the passenger's seat, glancing back at her with the first glint of emotion she'd seen on his face.

It was regret.

Ignoring him, Eve took stock of what was around her, impressed to see that they'd taken out everything she could use as a weapon. No seats, no loose tools, nothing.

"I hope you don't take this personally, Eve. It's just a precaution. HYDRA doesn't take well to liars." It was a warning wrapped in a pretty bow and she understood immediately. He would kill her if he had to. If she didn't convince his men that she was honest, that she wanted to help, he wouldn't be able to stop her death. But he could make it quick. And he would.

Her heart plummeted, mind turning to Steve. He wouldn't be happy when James came back without her, but what would he do when her body was delivered to the Tower? She wasn't stupid; they'd send her back to the Avengers gift wrapped and she knew it wouldn't be pretty. Not only because Steve would try to kill every HYDRA agent he could find, but because Tony would have to tell the Dugan family, if they weren't already there to see it. Natasha would call a manhunt and Eve didn't even want to know what James would do.

The Avengers would implode.

Grant didn't know the mess he'd make for himself if he sent her back dead, but she wasn't going to tell him. If that was his plan, she'd let it blow up. They'd been friends once. Like siblings. Now, she was the enemy and he was only on SHIELD's side if HYDRA didn't know about it. Her life wasn't more important than his undercover operation and she wasn't sure whose side he was on. HYDRA's? It seemed like it when she thought about her own life ending just because she couldn't lie well enough. But SHIELD would make the same call. And she suddenly understood. Understood how HYDRA could have hidden in their depths for so long. HYDRA and SHIELD really weren't that different.


	57. Something to Fight For

**New chapter! Steve finds out HYDRA has Eve, Nova makes an appearance, and James is guilt ridden. Definitely one of the most interesting. Thank you for all the great reviews, I absolutely love them. And all the favorites and follows, thank you for that too! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying the story. To everyone who's new, welcome! I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much and let me know what you think!**

Steve groaned when the door to his bedroom banged open, his head coming up to check who it was. He stared at Natasha, blood covered and full of rage, her suit still in place and her crimson hair looking like a death sentence to whoever would anger her. Her green eyes were focused on him and he felt a chill run down his spine when he realized her eyes were full of unshed tears, rage masking absolute grief. Natasha didn't get upset. Not like that.

"What happened?" Steve demanded, pushing himself up into a proper sitting position. His shoulder protested heavily, pain shuddering through him, but he ignored it, panic running through him. His heart clenched and he knew it wasn't anything good. Whatever came out of her mouth next was going to change his life as he knew it.

"You need to get suited up. They have Evangeline," Natasha informed him crisply. Steve froze, heart stopping for a dizzying moment as his mind whirled with the possibilities. They. They had Evangeline. They only meant one thing and that was HYDRA. HYDRA had her. The people who had tortured her, raped her, scarred her for life. And she was in their clutches. He'd known she was in danger and he let her go anyway. He'd let her walk out of his sight because he'd been stupid, so stupid. He'd assumed she was safe. He'd assumed she was protected.

"Where's Bucky?" It came out a terrifying calm, his rage building and heating his blood to a terrifying inferno. Steve forced himself to his feet, ignoring whatever pain was shuddering through him and focusing intently on the rage that was rolling in his gut.

"Medical," Natasha answered tersely as he stalked to his closet and pulled out the suit. He dressed in seconds with her standing in the doorway. Now wasn't the time to be modest. Grabbing his shield, he gripped the handle tightly, knuckles going white as he followed Natasha to the elevator, his left arm protesting as he stretched it. He didn't give a fuck what anyone said. He was going after her, injuries be damned.

The elevator ride was silent and Steve stepped out as soon as the doors were open wide enough, Tony waiting for him with Barton. Barton was suited up, also covered in blood, his bow slung over his back and expression tight. He didn't bother with a greeting, simply nodding to Steve before he turned and led him toward the medical bay on the top floors. It wasn't as extensive as the actual medical unit, but it was good enough. Bucky was sitting on the table, stitches being placed on a long gash on his back. His head was bowed and his hair was falling forward, keeping his face from view, but Steve didn't pause.

He stalked right up to Bucky and grabbed his chin, wrenching his head up. It wasn't good. One of his eyes was starting to swell and a bruise was already blooming along his cheekbone. His lip was split and mottled bruises were forming on his ribs. There was a wound on his side that was leaking blood and he looked like he'd fought a dozen men.

"Where is she?" Steve demanded, for once, not caring that Bucky was hurt. Because Evangeline could be dead. And Steve didn't know how he could live through that.

"They took her. Black van; Stark has the license plate number," Bucky answered in a low slur. It sounded like he'd bitten his tongue as well and Steve grit his teeth, wishing there was something he could hit. Before he could turn around and aim for a wall, Bucky was handing him something. Steve took the object, staring down at Evangeline's cell phone in his hand.

"Why the hell do you have her cell?" Steve growled. Natasha made a warning noise behind him, but he ignored her. Bucky would have to suck it up. He'd been with Evangeline when she'd gotten taken. She'd had enough time to give him her cell phone, which looked surprisingly free of harm considering the wounds Bucky had taken.

"She gave it to me. Told me to run. I already called the number," Bucky informed him, meeting his eyes with steely determination. Steve wanted to hit him, so suddenly that it shook him to his core. He wanted to beat the shit out of his best friend. Not only had Evangeline had enough time to give him her cell, she'd told him to run. And he'd listened. He'd left her alone with the objects of her nightmares and Steve had to turn away for a moment to collect himself.

"What number did you call? How could you just leave her?" Steve snapped, turning back to face Bucky when he was sure he wasn't going to reach out and snap his neck.

"He called me." A new voice joined the fray and Steve spun to face none other than Evangeline's best friend, Nova, Dum Dum Dugan's granddaughter. Her dark red hair was yanked back into a ponytail and her face was pulled into a grimace, brown eyes taking in their positions. "Captain, Captain's creepy friend. I brought what we'll need."

"What do you know that we don't?" Steve demanded.

"I know a lot of things you don't, Cap. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to the team that's going to find Evie and bring her home. Unless you'd like to finish your pissing match with your boyfriend," Nova raised an eyebrow at him and Steve felt the urge to throttle her.

"You know where she is?" Natasha took over and Steve was grateful for a moment. If she could really find Evangeline, he couldn't kill her. Still, he shot Bucky a dangerous look. Bucky was watching Nova closely, as if he wasn't sure what to make of her. Nova made literally no sense to anyone, though, so Steve brushed it off and started towards the door.

"I can find her. If you'll come with me, I'll show you how. If not, well, I'm finding her and bringing her home with or without your help," Nova spun and walked out of the room without waiting for them to agree or disagree, obviously not caring. Steve started after her, surprised for a moment when Bucky slid off the table, brushing away the nurse that was trying to help him and grabbing a bag that was sitting by the door.

Nova led them into one of the science labs Stark had set up, which was now set up as a command center. She walked straight into the fray and Steve froze in the doorway, staring.

At least two dozen people were buzzing around, checking equipment, suiting up, talking. Nova made her way to a regal woman with the same hair color as Dum Dum, her head held high and her back military straight. They were both behind a podium that was set up with multiple glass screens, all showing various locations that Steve assumed were HYDRA outposts.

"We know who it was yet?" Nova asked, her voice silencing the conversations that were going on. One of the men seated at a lab table with a computer answered her.

"No positive ID; he kept his face away from the cameras and evaded a direct match. We're assuming a former SHIELD specialist," the man informed her. Nova gave a sharp nod, turning back to face Steve, Nat, and Bucky.

"Captain Rogers, this is the Dugan clan. And a few other legacies. They're the team that will go with you to evac Evangeline when we find her." Nova motioned to the various members of the families who were suited up in SHIELD issue armor, guns and knives at the ready. The woman with Nova turned around as well and Steve took a moment to appreciate how much she looked like Dum Dum. Same strong jaw, same laughing blue eyes. She was like the female version of him. "This is my mom and the leader of our clan when Grandpa is left home, Mags Maddox."

"Ma'am," Steve nodded his head to her, wondering how Evangeline had so many people willing to fight for her that he hadn't even known about.

"Captain. I'll tell you how nice it is to finally meet you later. Right now, I have a daughter to find. Do any of you know who Evangeline contacted?" Mags asked, eyeing them all with a dangerous look.

"Grant Ward. SHIELD specialist." It was Bucky who answered and Steve gave him another dark look, one he ignored. Mags' attention spun to him and Nova raised an eyebrow, waiting for more. "She contacted him while we were in a safe house. He's the official leader of HYDRA and sent a message to SHIELD about helping them defeat HYDRA. She answered because she knows him. Wasn't supposed to meet him. There was no return message."

"Grant Ward, that son of a bitch…" Nova scowled and turned back to the computers, typing faster than even Steve could follow. Images came up and Steve stared at the man who was supposedly the one who took Evangeline.

"This is a live mission, as of now." Maria Hill walked in and Nova's mother pinned her with a stare that could liquefy someone's kidneys if they weren't careful.

"You sent Evangeline St. James, my daughter, into HYDRA knowingly?" Mags snapped. Hill actually paused, eyes on the woman and the hand that was now resting on the gun at her hip.

"I sent Evangeline St. James, who isn't your daughter, to contact Grant Ward and possibly set up a meeting if he responded. He responded in person. If she works this right, she could get us a serious asset in the war against HYDRA," Hill informed Mags, who didn't look the least bit mollified. In fact, her eyes narrowed dangerously and she looked ready to shoot Hill. Steve was right there with her. If Hill opened her mouth again and said she'd sent Evangeline in knowingly, Steve was going to hit her.

"Evangeline is as much my daughter as any of my children. When we get her back, you can accept our leaving as our resignation from SHIELD," Mags snapped, eyes flashing dangerously. A round of head nods accompanied this proclamation and Hill actually paled at the sight of so many people agreeing to quit SHIELD in one moment. SHIELD was in the shadows, which meant that there was no recruiting new agents. Instead, SHIELD worked with the agents they had previously. And there were very few that could be trusted after the fall.

"Mags, you can't pull your family out of SHIELD. You have active agents…" Hill trailed off when a few of the older adults stepped up, all of them looking betrayed.

"You can consider it the Falsworth family's resignation from SHIELD as soon as Evangeline is safe," a man informed Hill who looked remarkably like Monty. They had the same intense eyes, the same small mustache. The same wild grin. Steve would be interested to meet him when this was all over. He seemed like a good man to fight alongside.

"The Morita family as well," a woman, small and compact with a severe frown on her lips put in, the four people behind her murmuring agreements. Steve took those to be the woman's family members.

"The Jones family too. You've already taken one of our family; how dare you put another at risk like this?" A tall African American woman glared at Hill, who stared at the assembled agents, all of whom had chosen SHIELD over HYDRA. And were now choosing Evangeline, their family, over SHIELD.

"We'll talk when Evangeline is safe. Her comms should be live if she knew she was getting taken. I just need to activate the corresponding radio wave and pinpoint her location, which the comms doesn't do. So, unless she's alone in a room without anyone around where she can tell me where she is, I'm going to have to work a miracle. Not that I can't do it, it'll just take too much time…" Nova muttered to everyone in the room, still working through her computer at an alarming rate.

Steve thought carefully for a moment, thinking back to Evangeline brushing her lips over his before she'd left.

"Would they take off her dog tags?" Steve asked suddenly, head popping up. Nova turned to stare at him like he was crazy, raising an eyebrow in question. He did the same, waiting for a response.

"Well, no. I mean, Eve was friends with him, he'd leave her dog tags on as a show of respect or that he trusted her. But Evie doesn't _have_ dog tags. Only active field agents receive dog tags with SHIELD and only the retired ones actually wear them…" Nova cut off when Steve raised up a hand, relief stuttering through him.

"She's wearing mine," Steve informed her. Stark made a noise at the back of the room and started forward, pushing one of Nova's group out of the way so he could get on a computer. Stark started to work just as quickly as Nova, muttering to himself about getting satellites into position and localization, whatever that meant.

"I hate to break it to you, Captain, but you're wearing yours." Nova reminded him, pointing to his chest. Steve shook his head, taking another step into the room. If he could trust anyone, he could trust the descendants of the Howling Commandos.

"These are my official SHIELD dog tags. Evangeline is wearing my dog tags from WWII. The ones I wore when I was in the ice. I had Stark put a tracker on them when I decided not to wear them while on active missions so I wouldn't lose them. I gave them to Evangeline before my last mission. If he left them on her…" Steve started.

"We can find her," Nova breathed, eyes widening in realization. Then she screamed. "We can find her! Fuck yes, Captain, I could kiss you! Oh my god, Tony! TONY! What the hell frequency do you have them on?"

"There," Stark sent something to the screen and Steve stared at the blinking dot on the middle screen that was now blown up, showing them Evangeline's location clearly. Steve sucked in the first real breath he'd taken since he'd woken up, relief stuttering through him. He could find her. Bring her home. And then they were leaving. The Tower obviously wasn't safe and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight until HYDRA was completely gone. Keeping her safe was his top priority now. Nothing else mattered so long as he had Evangeline safely by his side.

"I got her comms! Lewis, I want her vitals pulled up! I want to be able to see inside that building in two minutes. Get me cameras! Tony, I want you to hack satellite feeds, get JARVIS working on it. We're going to save her if we have to die trying," Nova snapped, a smirk on her lips. Steve frowned at that last sentence, wondering how many of them were realistically going to die trying to get Evangeline out of HYDRA hands. She was worth it, to him, but was he really asking the descendants of the Howling Commandos to die for him? He'd already asked their ancestors to.

"Don't think too deeply, Captain. Evangeline is family. So are you. We'd do this for any of our kids. Even if you weren't the one leading us in," Mags had moved to stand by his side and Steve glanced at her, still unnerved by her appearance. There was far too much Dugan in her gaze for him to be completely comfortable.

"I can't ask them to go die on a mission I'm running," Steve informed her, gritting his teeth.

"You're not asking. I called them. If they die, it's on me. We've lost family members before on SHIELD missions. This one is different. This is to save Evangeline. She might not be my child by blood, but she's as much family as anyone in this room and I would never leave any of my children in HYDRA hands, no matter the possible outcomes. Evangeline has gone through a lot. I'm going to ensure she doesn't have to go through any of that again. You can stay here, if you'd prefer," Mags offered. Steve sent her a deadly look and Mags smile, laugh lines appearing around her eyes as she reached up and patted his shoulder in an effectively motherly gesture. "You'll do, Captain. You'll do."

"I have video feed!" Stark hollered and then Steve was staring at Evangeline, his heart sinking into his stomach.

It wasn't good.


	58. Brotherly Love

**Hello, hello! So, this one changes perspective a few times, I'm sorry if the line break is a little weird. I'm not completely up on how to do that perfectly yet. Thanks for all of the encouraging reviews, I'm glad everyone's enjoying the story. Though, I did get a lot of hell for my cliffhangers… I'm sorry, but there will be more. I actually love to do them… Oops. We also get a new friend to show up this chapter that I'm sure a few of you are expecting or at least guessed would make an appearance. Let me know what you think! Only five more updates to go!**

Eve grimaced and lifted her head when the door to the room she was in pushed open, her ears still ringing from the smack one of the HYDRA agents had given her when they'd thrown her into the room. Apparently, he was the one she'd caught in the crotch. Oops. She didn't regret the swelling bruise on her cheek one bit, eyes pinning the person who walked through the door in their spot.

Grant held up a water bottle like a peace offering, stepping in and closing the door behind him. Eve didn't lower her glare, knowing that it wouldn't appear good if she relaxed in his presence; she could practically feel the cameras that were on her. Her hands were cuffed firmly to the table, leaving them in plain sight of anyone who would walk in. They'd left her feet free, but it was no use. The only weapon she had on her went unfound when the men had frisked her, foolishly ignoring her boots. The knife there pressed reassuringly against her ankle, reminding her once again why she was friends with James. He'd insisted on the knife before they'd left the Tower, reminding her that they could, theoretically, get separated. Eve was glad she'd listened to him.

"I see Handles got ahold of you. I have to say, he wasn't really impressed with your little stunt back there. Then again, I was. He'll be singing falsetto for a week thanks to you," Grant set the water bottle on the table, as if she could somehow move to drink it with her hands pinned.

"He shouldn't grab a woman without announcing himself first," was Eve's only response. Grant let his lips tilt slightly before he leaned back in his chair and eyed her thoughtfully. She kept her eyes on his, waiting for whatever questions he'd come up with. The comms crackled to life in her ear and she forced her expression to remain the same, wishing she could reach up and rub the ear it had been implanted in as the white noise echoed through her mind.

"You contacted me about helping HYDRA. How do you think you'll accomplish that? And why would you?" Grant asked, raising an eyebrow. Eve stared straight at him, hoping like hell that Steve wouldn't take any of her next words seriously. That none of them would. James had been right after all- she had to make the story convincing. "You have the Avengers at your back. What could you want with HYDRA? Not that I'm not flattered, of course."

"I-" Eve was cut off when the door burst open and someone she had prayed she'd never see again burst in, a sneer already on his lips. Dark eyes met hers with open malice and she felt her heart stutter in her chest, the blood rushing from her face for the second time that day.

"Don't listen to a word she says. She's lying," the all too familiar man demanded, shooting Eve a dirty look. Eve just stared at him, a voice in her ear starting up.

"Breathe, Evie. This is like any op ever. You need to keep calm and keep talking. Don't let him get to you. He doesn't know anything about you. You're going to have to be convincing and breathe for me," Nova murmured in her ear. It was quiet enough that neither of the men in the room could detect it, but Eve could clearly hear. It was a comfort to have Nova near on a mission, but this wasn't any other op. This was her life and she was going to die.

She knew it with a chilling certainty. If he was there, she wasn't walking out of the HYDRA compound alive. She'd never get the chance to tell Steve she loved him, never get the chance to hear his answer. The future she'd envisioned crumbled before her, the chance of Steve being by her side blowing away like it had never existed.

He'd find someone else. Maybe he'd go back to Sharon. Suddenly, the thought wasn't so terrible. If Sharon made him happy, she couldn't begrudge him that. And it wasn't like Eve would be around to see it anyway. He'd be horrified in the beginning, especially if he was around to see what happened in the room, but Steve was strong. He would move on, given some time.

Elise would be alright, Nova would take care of her. And Nova had her entire family at her back. Everyone else in her life would live on and Eve would be a smudge in their memories, one that hurt every once and awhile when they chose to think about her.

Eve could feel her heart breaking and she wished she could wrap her arms around her waist and try to catch the pieces, but it wasn't possible. Tears didn't even begin to form as hopelessness filled her. She was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. They could be right outside for all she knew and it wouldn't save her life.

"Fucking hell, that bastard makes an appearance, of course he's fucking HYDRA…" Nova muttered angrily, tapping out commands into the computer. Steve tensed, watching as she did so and wondering who the hell the man who'd burst into the room was. He looked crazy. His hair was curly and wild, his expression pulled into a scowl. His eyes spun around the room until they settled on Eve like she was the enemy, his glare forceful and his stance arrogant. Whoever the hell he was, he thought he was right.

"Captain, you're with me. Kids, let's get on that quinjet. No time to waste," Mags started calling out orders, waving at the adults standing near her. The woman by her had the same light red hair as Mags and the two boys had dark brown hair, all of them sharing strong jaws and shoulders. They were all suited up and Steve recognized them as her children. The ones that Evangeline had told him about.

"Who the hell is that?" Steve demanded, intent on knowing the enemy before he walked in.

"That, dear Captain, is Alan St. James. Evangeline's older brother," Nova informed him, her tone tight. Steve stared at the screen, trying to find similarities as the man argued with his leader, the man Steve now identified as Grant Ward. There were no similarities. Where Evangeline was soft curves and warmth, this man was sharp edges and crazy.

"He's in jail," Steve reminded her.

"Not anymore," Stark's voice answered him and a newspaper article popped up on the screen by the one with the feed of Evangeline, detailing an escape from a maximum security prison. Three people escaped, one Alan St. James.

"It's dated two weeks ago, while you were at the safe house. They would have tried to warn Evangeline, but they probably couldn't find her. Those sons of bitches should have called Elise, though. And they didn't," Nova snapped, glaring at the screen. Steve turned to face Mags, who was filing her children out the door. Natasha, Barton, and Bucky all followed the line.

"The second team will leave in five minutes. Set up towards the back and we'll meet in the middle as soon as Nova gives the signal. Are you coming, Captain?" Mags turned to him and Steve took a deep breath, glancing back at the screen where Evangeline was splayed.

"Give me one second." He stalked forward and made his way to Nova's side, taking the headset she'd been speaking into. Holding it up to his mouth, he glanced at Nova, who nodded for him to speak. "Evangeline, if you can hear me…"

Evangeline stared at her brother as Steve's voice entered her ear. It was so loud, it sounded like he was with her, standing next to her. Like she could reach out and touch him. God, she wished that were true. She wished she could wake up and rolled over, curl into his side. She wished this was all a nightmare that she could escape from simply by waking up.

"Evangeline, if you can hear me, we're going to get you out, doll. I'm going to get you out. We're on our way," His voice was soft and broken, sounding just as heartbroken as she felt. Eve sucked in a breath, ignoring the arguing going on in front of her and focusing on Steve and his voice. She could picture him, dressed in his Captain America suit, staring at her and willing her to hold on. "I promised you would never be near them again and I failed to protect you. I'll get you out, though. Just wait for us, okay?"

She couldn't nod, couldn't reassure him, but the comms quieted anyway, leaving her alone in the room with her worst nightmare.

"Evie isn't going to change sides - she isn't HYDRA material. It's a lie. I don't know how she got ahold of you, but it's a lie. She couldn't kill anyone even if she wanted to. She's too weak," Alan whined, his voice grating on Eve's ears after having Steve talking to her. Eve shot him a dark look, knowing that she would kill him in a second if she could just get her knife into her hand. It wouldn't be hard and she wouldn't regret it. If Alan was here, Elise was in danger. And, if he blew her cover, so was everyone else she loved.

"It's been years since you've even seen Eve. You have no idea what she's capable of," Grant scowled at Alan, obviously not interested in his sniveling. Eve couldn't blame him. Alan wasn't just trying to get her killed, he was whining about it.

"She's weak! Not a criminal, not strong like us," Alan complained.

"We aren't criminals. HYDRA's main goal is to save the world, not end it. Leave while I talk to her. I will let you know what I decide afterward," Grant ordered, his tone brooking no argument. Alan turned to open the door with a tight frown, eyes flashing to hers before he could pull it open.

"Our father is dead. Are you going to cry for him?" he snapped before walking out of the room. Eve stared at the door when it closed again, contemplating if she could really believe anything Alan said. It would be a relief if her father was dead, but she wasn't sure if he was being truthful. No one could ever tell.

"I apologize. I hadn't realized his presence would cause an issue," Grant offered, watching her now. Eve forced her gaze back to him, wondering why she was still alive. Grant could only put off her death for so long. Either Alan would kill her or another of his goons would at Alan's word. Alan was an addict and he'd learned to be suave to get his drug of choice. She had no doubts that he would manipulate the HYDRA goons into hurting her now that he knew Grant wouldn't.

"Is he really dead?" Eve asked, changing the subject. Of course having Alan involved would cause a problem.

"Your father? Yes. He died in the breakout we staged. It was a terrible, terrible accident." Funny how Grant didn't look the least bit upset over the fact that he was dead. Eve almost smiled, wondering why he would do something so terrible for her, but wouldn't just answer a goddamned email with another email. It would have saved her life.

"How horrible," Eve echoed, not the least bit sorry. Her father had been a terrible man. She should probably mourn him, but all she felt was relief.

"We both know that Alan doesn't see the whole picture when it comes to you. SHIELD, HYDRA, they change you when they get you in their clutches. They teach you to put one life over another, multiple lives over one. I know the choices you've made and I know you've killed people yourself. So, the question is, why do you want to help me?" Grant offered, resting his folded hands on the table so she could be certain that he wasn't going to hurt her. Yet.

"There are things that are personal, Grant," Eve reminded him, meeting his eyes.

"I need to know your reasons. Did the great Captain America scorn you, Eve?" Grant asked, giving her a way out. He was practically handing her the right answer and Eve felt a bit of warmth for the man who was setting her up to die. At least he was doing his damnedest to give her a chance at life. She just had to take it and say all the right things.

"There are things that even the Captain can't give. Apparently, one of those things is his heart," Eve forced herself to think of all the insecurities that she'd had when faced with people like Sharon Carter and Peggy, letting that pain show through her eyes. Maybe Grant wouldn't believe her, but the rest of his crew might. And that was all she needed, really. Grant didn't want to kill her. Not like the rest of them.

"What did he do?" Grant actually looked honestly curious, reading the pain in her eyes. Eve let herself tear up, sniffling just a little to hold in the tears she wanted to cry. This situation was terrible and her insecurities were the least of her problems, but the show must go on and she was on an active mission, after all.

"Do you know he calls for them? Sometimes, in his sleep, the Captain calls for Sharon or Peggy." Her voice wobbled just slightly and she licked her lips, biting into the bottom one until it stung to keep herself composed. Crying was a weakness she couldn't allow until the right time.

"But not for you…" Grant trailed off as if he was lost in thought. Eve took a deep, soothing breath, knowing that it looked like she was composing herself to the cameras. She steeled herself, glaring straight at Grant with all the pent up anger that she'd been nursing since her previous stay with HYDRA.

"I want them to pay. All of them. I won't be second best to anyone. If you can help me, I'll help you. That's my offer." Eve fisted her hands until her knuckles were white, her eyes glaring into his. He nodded slightly, as if considering his options. Eve knew it was an acknowledgement. Her story should be enough to buy her time.

"There are things I can do to help you. But I need to be sure you're telling me the truth, Eve." He pulled out a wicked looking knife and Eve clenched her jaw, knowing what came next.

The stuff of nightmares.


	59. The Winter Soldier Returns

**Sorry guys! I accidently uploaded the same chapter twice! I definitely didn't mean to, thanks for warning me. I'm glad I checked it quickly. Here's the new chapter, sorry for the earlier confusion!**

Steve grit his teeth as Evangeline told Grant Ward that he called for Sharon and Peggy in his sleep, her voice wobbling slightly as if she was fighting off tears. He wondered how long she'd been wondering if she was second best to them, if he compared her to them. He wondered if she was telling the truth. Some of his nightmares featured the other women who had been in his life, but he wasn't sure if she had ever heard him calling their names. He prayed that the answer was no, that his mouth remained shut during his dreams. Just the thought of putting her through that pain… It tugged at his heart, breaking a part of him. The part of him that loved her.

How could she think she was second to anyone in his life? He was putting his friends at risk to save her. He would do a lot more before the night was through to make sure she was alive when she left the HYDRA compound. There wasn't much he wouldn't do.

"She's lying." Bucky's voice broke his thoughts and Steve turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "When she told me about the message, I told her to say you two broke up if she was caught. That way anyone who caught her would think that she wanted revenge. It's a legitimate motivator and might save her life."

"He's half right. Eve is kind of concerned about your feelings for Sharon and Peggy," Natasha broke in, frowning tightly at the thought. Steve clenched his jaw, not happy that his suspicion was proven correct. "But she doesn't want to hurt you for it. In fact, she was going to talk to you about it before this all happened. But he is right. That story might save her life."

Steve froze when the screen in the quinjet switched to the feed of Evangeline and Grant Ward, a knife in Ward's hand. He was holding it up for her to see and Steve stared at him, silently sending up a prayer that he wouldn't use it on her. Grant Ward had to know what HYDRA had done to Evangeline and he was still threatening to torture her. Even after all she had gone through to get that far.

Natasha started muttering in Russian, words Steve assumed weren't kind, her deadly glare focused on the TV. Her hand gripped the hilt of a knife tightly, the other hand curled around the trigger of her gun. Whatever Natasha was thinking, it wasn't kind in the least. If she was able, Steve was sure she would destroy Grant Ward without a second thought. The entire jet went silent as everyone watched on, most people fingering their own weapons.

Grant Ward slid the flat of the knife along the back of Evangeline's hands, her pale skin stark against the silver metal of the blade. The engines whirred louder, but Steve was hooked, eyes following that blade. His entire body was rigid, shoulders tight as he stared at her, willing the knife away without hurting her.

The asshole flicked the knife deftly, as though it meant nothing to him. It sliced into Evangeline's hand, right above the Xs that Steve always traced, her entire body tightening. She was tensed like a bow string for a moment, face paling considerably as she stared at the blood now sliding along her hand toward her fingers. Steve fisted his hands and wished he was there. He would kill the man for touching her. For thinking he could hurt her and get away with it unharmed, Grant Ward was going to die.

"We're almost there," Barton called back, his tone urgent. People started moving again, grabbing weapons and checking clips. Steve stared at the screen, eyes on the woman he was going to save. He was going to save her. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. She was going to be safe and sound at the Tower by the time the sun came up tomorrow or he was going to die with her. There was no other option.

He couldn't live in a world without her.

The knife slid along her cheekbone this time, Ward moving to stand by her side as he cut into her skin. Eve stared up at him defiantly, answering the questions he was asking seriously. The same answers as before. She wanted the Avengers to pay. She was angry at Steve. She wasn't going to be second best to anyone.

The first thing he was going to tell her when he got to her was that she had never been second best.

"Cap, we're landing in two," Natasha warned him. Steve nodded as she came to stand with him, watching the video. Evangeline's comm was linked to theirs for the moment and he could hear her voice like she was next to him. God, he wanted her next to him.

"I don't know if you're being convincing, Eve," Ward's voice came through slightly muffled and the door opened, showing Evangeline's brother and another thug who said words he couldn't make out. "I'll allow you time to consider your response."

Steve slammed his fist into the wall of the quinjet when Ward spun the knife in his hand before plunging it into Evangeline's thigh, her scream echoing in his ear, his own growl of rage mixing with her pain. They couldn't see the wound because of the position of the cameras, but Steve knew it was there and it burned at him. Tears were forming in Evangeline's eyes and Steve grit his teeth.

"Steve, we have to go get her. Now." Natasha grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the quinjet, the comm unit connected to Evangeline's cutting off. Steve clenched his jaw and shook Natasha off, not bothering to grab his shield off his back. Instead, he grabbed his guns, checking clips as they walked out and stood before the assembled members of the Howling Commando families. They were watching him, waiting for him to say something that would reassure them or encourage them.

"We go in there, we don't come out until Evangeline is safe. Take out as many HYDRA agents as you can. This is war and we're going to win this battle," Steve informed them, his voice hard. Natasha tilted her head back as Barton walked out of the quinjet, bow already strung. Bucky was by Natasha, waiting for his own orders, and Steve nodded to the family waiting for his go-ahead. They turned, starting toward the facility like they already knew the plan.

"We'll get her out. Alive," Barton informed him. Steve glanced at him, knowing that his burning rage showed on his face for the first time since he'd heard she was taken. Barton tensed like he was going to hit him, expression wary.

"Yes, we will," Steve growled, starting forward. "Barton, take a high point until the facility is breached. Pick them off when they come out. Bucky, you're with us. Natasha, I want a way in now."

"Captain, get your ass inside that compound and get our girl back," Nova's voice sounded in his ear and Steve nodded tightly, striding forward. If Nova was giving the signal, it wasn't good. He clenched his jaw tightly and forced himself not to think worst case scenario. He would get Evangeline back and he'd make sure she was never hurt again, be damned the consequences.

She was what was important. And he would tell her that when he saw her next.

It didn't take more than three minutes to get to the HYDRA building. Steve stared at the imposing abandoned factory in the middle of the woods, of all places. There was a clearing around the facility and Steve stopped along the tree line as arrows whizzed towards the building, men falling off the roof at a rapid rate.

"Clear of snipers, Cap," Barton reported into his ear. Starting forward, Steve crossed the clearing as four other groups of people came at the same time, all from different sides. Steve couldn't see them, but he heard Nova calling out direction as he took the front of the building. The others were coming in on both sides and two groups by the back, ready to take on HYDRA with everything they had.

A front door entrance was just what he had done with the Commandos and Steve knew that Natasha and Bucky were up for it. They didn't even pause when he took three long steps and kicked the metal door off of its hinges, the jarring pain that shuddered up his leg an afterthought to what could be happening inside.

"Knock, knock." Natasha quipped as she brought her guns up and ducked in after him. Steve shot two HYDRA agents in the chest before they even realized he was there, Natasha shooting up towards the metal walkways that lined the place.

The sound of bullets hitting bodies was like music to his ears and Steve took aim again, managing to hit two more HYDRA agents, one in the thigh and the other in the forehead. Bodies toppled over the metal rails that lined the walkways, falling behind them as they walked in.

"Captain, you'd better get moving. Evie's in trouble. Go up the metal stairs to your right and go straight. In a hundred feet, you'll take a left," Nova ordered. Steve glanced at Natasha, who nodded at him firmly. He was already running towards the steps before she could say a word, stowing away his guns and throwing himself up the metal stairs. He took them three at a time, ignoring the annoying clang that announced his presence to anyone paying enough attention.

A glance over his shoulder on his way down the hall showed that Bucky was no longer the Bucky that Steve had worked with before the ice. Instead, he was sliding through the crowd of HYDRA agents with deadly precision, eyes dark and lost in shadow. Blood splatter decorated one cheek and he slammed one agent's head into the wall with brutal force, the man's head caving to Bucky's metal fingers. Even with the new uniform and weapons, his hair pulled back and his face freshly shaven, he looked one hundred percent the Winter Soldier. All emotion was gone from his face and Steve took notice that Natasha was staying back, out of his way. She let him work, shooting anyone who tried to kill him.

Steve didn't have time to stop him and return him to himself. Instead, he turned back to the hall, hoping like hell that the Commando families would stay out of his best friend's way. If it were any other day, Steve would turn back and stop him, remind him that he was human and the people he was killing were human too, but Evangeline was in danger and could be dying and he couldn't take that chance. Steve refused to risk her life to stop Bucky from killing people who more than likely deserved his rage. The problem would be much worse if Steve didn't get to Evangeline in time. She was important to Bucky too and Steve wasn't sure he could keep his sanity through losing a friend like her.

"Captain, hurry!" Nova's voice broke his haze and Steve took off at a run, no longer caring if his best friend brought the whole building down on top of them. All that mattered was saving Evangeline.


	60. Living on a Prayer

**Hello everyone! Here we have the next chapter in the story. Only four more to go! I'm going to miss you guys so much! Keep on the lookout to the second story of the series which is Bucky/OC. I'll announce more about that in the last chapter.**

 **Anyway, I had a thought the other day and I was wondering what you guys think: What Hogwarts House would you put Steve, Eve, Natasha, Bucky, and Sam in? Or any of the Avengers, really. I was just curious and thought it would be fun to talk about with any fellow Harry Potter lovers out there!**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows, I love them. For some reason, this time around the reviews weren't showing up. I don't know what that's about but, if you asked me a question or something, I apologize. The site's being finicky I guess. But yes, story time:**

Eve grit her teeth and looked up when the door opened, Grant stepping into the room hastily. His eyes were hooded and dark and he moved with purpose, each step economical. He didn't pause to speak, walking over with the key to her handcuffs in his hand and something else she couldn't quite make out. Whatever it was, it didn't look deadly. Either way, Eve watched him carefully as he leaned over and pressed the key into her hand, his warm palm meeting her cold fingers for one peaceful moment.

"You hold up surprisingly well to torture for someone trained at Sci Ops," Grant informed her, reaching out and caressing her leg, dropping something into the boot that didn't hold her knife. He was making a show of touching her and Eve grit her teeth, wishing she could punch him for everything he'd done. To her and to the remaining SHIELD agents he'd no doubt killed. After a moment, he stepped away from her and grabbed the hilt of the knife that was still stuck into her leg.

"Well, you know, Geeks unite," Eve bit out, biting off her scream when he yanked the knife out with an agonizing sucking noise. He'd graciously avoided her femoral artery when he'd stabbed her, but she was still going to bleed out onto the floor if she didn't get herself out of the handcuffs fast enough. Honestly, Grant was giving her a chance at survival. It all depended on if she could make it out in time.

"You always were such a geek. You're friends have arrived, if you must know. It looks like you aren't second best," Grant pulled back and smiled down at her, a genuine smile that reminded her of the old days. She could almost see the man she'd worked with during training before he slammed his fist into her cheek, her head snapping sideways and her teeth digging into her tongue. Huffing out a breath, Eve stayed canted to the side, mouth filling rapidly with dull copper. She spit the blood on the floor and turned to face Grant, scowl firmly in place. Whatever he'd given her, she still no longer counted him as an ally. "I'll see you again, if you survive."

"You're compound is going to be destroyed," Eve snapped back, grimacing when her words slurred slightly. Pain stumbled through her face and she was pretty sure he cracked one of her cheekbones, not that she cared at the moment. What mattered was getting him out of the room so she could uncuff herself. Not that that was going to be easy, but she knew she could do it. So long as she didn't lose too much blood first.

"That was always the plan," Grant shrugged his shoulder with a shit eating grin and turned and walked out of the room, obviously not caring that he'd left her to die. They were friends once, but this was bigger than their friendship. If they ever met again, Eve was going to make sure to pay him back for all the pain he caused her.

Breathing deeply, Eve focused on the key in her hand, slowly positioning it in her fingers so that she could twist and unlock the cuffs. Warm blood spread along her leggings and she had to shake the flashbacks away, tears stinging her eyes at the sight of the blood that was on her hands. It was a far too familiar sight. Shaking slightly, she finally managed to push the key into the lock, twisting gently until the first cuff popped open and she could yank her hand away. Reaching over, she shakily unlocked the second cuff, the chain jingling slightly as she worked.

The door burst open as the cuff unlocked and Eve's head snapped up so that she was staring right into the eyes of her brother.

"I knew that you were lying! You couldn't kill anyone, even if your life depended on it!" Alan ripped a gun out from the waistband of his pants, pointing it straight at her chest. Eve forced herself to push back any panic and all the pain, pushing up on one foot to move away from the chair and the table they'd had her cuffed to. He didn't seem surprised to see her un-cuffed, but Eve still carefully dropped the key into her boot with whatever Grant had given her before putting both hands up in a show of surrender.

She knew what she would order an agent to do in her situation, but she wasn't an agent and he was her brother. Even if he had a gun pointed at her head, she'd still grown up with him, idolized him, until she'd realized he hated her. She'd loved him. The boy that she had loved, though, the one she'd idolized, was nowhere in his eyes. They were cold. Hatred had changed him and she could see it clearly through the fog of pain in her mind.

"You don't know anything about me," Eve informed him, her voice shaky. She let her tears fall, the saltwater stinging her lips and her tongue as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I know you're weak, Evie," He informed her. Eve took a step back and fell, her injured leg giving out underneath her. Alan growled and took two steps forward, gun still held up. He wasn't aiming right and would end up shooting her in the lung instead of the heart, but that didn't matter. Either shot would probably kill her, even if he missed his intended target. Eve inched her hand towards her boot, one hand moving to press into the wound on her leg so that he wouldn't be suspicious. It was a trick the Hawk had taught her, a slight of hand piece that worked unfailingly with new recruits. Agony ripped through her as she pressing her fingers against the wound that Grant had left behind. She didn't have to fake a sharp gasp, air stinging her lungs as she fought the rise of dizziness that accompanied the burst of pain.

"I'm stronger than you," Eve informed him, one hundred percent secure in that fact. She was stronger than Alan had ever been. She hadn't needed the drugs or the drinking. Instead of drowning in her troubles, she'd stood up to them. She'd taken care of Elise and herself when everything was screwed up and their lives were forever changed. Alan had taken the easy way out and lost his remaining family in those moments.

"You're not the one with the gun," Alan sneered. Eve shook her head, hair falling back away from her face so she could see him clearly for one last time.

"No, I'm not." In one smooth move, Eve yanked the knife out of her boot and threw it, her aim true. She watched the point slam home right between her brother's eyes, his shocked expression enough to leave her satisfied for one endless moment as he stood there, blood slowly starting to leak from the wound. The gun in his hand went off as he fell, off target. But it was close enough.

Eve cried out when a bullet bit into her shoulder, blood bursting from the wound as she fell back onto the floor, her working hand desperately flying up to stop the bleeding. Her entire body shook as the tears flowed faster, fear taking hold of her chest. She was going to die here. She'd known it before, but the thought solidified as the pain wavered. She knew that feeling. Pain shouldn't disappear, it wasn't supposed to disappear. If it did, she was as good as gone.

Hearing footsteps in the hall, Eve forced herself to focus, eyes sliding around the room. Whimpering in pain, she pushed herself up to roll onto her stomach, one leg useless behind her. Steve's face flashed behind her eyelids as she'd last seen him and she knew she needed to move if she wanted to see him again. If she wanted to live.

Letting go of the wound on her shoulder, Eve reached out with her working hand and gripped the floor with her nails, using her good leg to push herself forward, toward the corner.

She'd just gotten far enough out of the way to avoid the blast that suddenly broke through the room, the wall furthest from her shattering like glass. Wood splinters flew into the room, hot flames licking the remaining walls. Eve yanked herself away from the fire, eyes watering as she pushed harder, forcing her broken body to work for her. She'd done more with worse and she was going to do everything she could to live, damn it! She wasn't going to give up. Steve hadn't given up when he'd been under the ice and she wouldn't either. Not when she could see him again.

Smoke hit her in the face and she took a deep breath, fingers brushing the wall a moment later. Dragging herself into sitting position, Eve stared at the wall that had caught on fire, the one right by the door. She wasn't going to die from bleeding out. She was going to die from smoke inhalation…

Groaning, Eve let herself fall to the side, her injured shoulder taking the brunt of the hit. Black tinged her vision as the crippling pain slid through her, her other hand moving slowly up to press against her mouth, the sleeve of her sweater pulled taut along her fingers. Just enough to block some of the smoke. It wasn't much, but it could save her life.

Breathing slowly, Eve sent up a prayer. To God, to Heimdall, to Thor, whoever was listening, that Steve, at least, would live. He had to live.


	61. The Captain's Heart

**Hello everyone! Another chapter up and accounted for! Only two left to go and I'm so excited! Thank you all for the faves, reviews, follows, and general love! I love getting reviews, so let me know what you think. BTW, Captain swearing in this one, so be on the lookout. Also, I hit over 300 reviews! I'm so thankful everyone loves the story and that there are so many comments! I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of the rest!**

Steve slid around a corner, metal creaking as he slammed into it with his shield, leaving a large dent in the opposite wall. The sounds of a battle raged around him, but Steve kept going, panic slowly filtering through his system. Nova's words were getting more and more frantic and she'd screamed moments before, cutting his comms after she did so he couldn't demand an explanation. Following the directions she'd told him by memory, Steve bolted around another corner, landing in a hoard of HYDRA agents.

"Captain America, looking for the girl he loves. How does it feel not to be able to save her?" one asked, cackling at the back of the five or six agents Steve was facing off with. Gripping his shield tighter, Steve glanced at the hallway behind them. He had one turn left. One turn and he'd be with her. All he had to do was get through the men before her and he could do that. He'd managed to get through worse and he wouldn't let Evangeline down.

"How does it feel to know you're going to die today?" Steve asked conversationally, eyeing the front men cautiously. They had one gun each that he could count and no cover. They'd come simply to stall him, he could practically sense it. It would take less time than they counted on for him to kill them, though. With only a handful of guns and maybe a few knives, they were no threat to him.

"You're going to fail her. She'll know what it's like to be failed by the man she loves. Just like Peggy Carter," another man called out, the rest of the group overconfident in their abilities. Their combined IQ was about 12, but Steve wasn't too concerned.

Instead, Steve started moving, slamming his shield into the first man he came across and sending him flying into two others. Spinning, Steve caught the punch another was trying to send at him, breaking his arm cleanly before shoving the shield into his stomach, and then cracking his head against the wall. Kicking out, Steve connected with another who had a gun up, causing the gun to go off and the bullet to slam into Steve's abdomen. He didn't pause at the pain, kneeing the man in the face and effectively knocking him unconscious.

Pain started in his abdomen and spread to the rest of his healing wounds. His shoulder throbbed with the beat of his heart and he was pretty sure he'd ripped open the wound on his side, but he didn't give a fuck as he attacked the other three HYDRA agents standing between him and the ultimate goal.

A swift punch to the face took one out and Steve launched his shield at another, grabbing the third one with vicious intent.

This one was better trained than the others and slashed Steve's arm with a knife, blood splattering against the floor as Steve yanked that hand back, elbowing the man in the face with his other arm. The man swung at him, knife in hand, going for the face. Steve ducked, kicking out and crunching the man's knee. He fell with a cry of agony, Steve's foot slamming into his face to shut him up.

Steve caught another man who charged him, throwing him into the wall and wrenching his arm out of its socket, slamming his head into the metal. The last man turned and ran, disappearing into the warehouse. Steve growled as he pressed his hand into the bullet wound by his hip, wondering if it was serious enough to worry about even as he started toward where his shield had landed among the bodies.

He had to get to Evangeline. He had so much to tell her, so many things she needed to know. He needed to tell her he was so sorry for being a fucking moron, that she was his best girl, and he'd do anything to prove that to her. He needed her to know she couldn't leave him, that she couldn't die. That he couldn't live in a world where she wasn't out there. That he didn't want to live in this world without her.

He had so much to say and he couldn't lose her.

Steve took the last turn at a dead run, screeching to a stop when the hall ended in a dead end, smoke spilling out from the bottom of a metal door on the wall opposite him. Steve pressed a finger into his comms, calling Nova.

"What?" she snapped.

"Are you sure Evangeline is in the room at the end of this hallway?" Steve demanded, blood running cold. His breath came in ragged gasps, ripping from his lungs as panic started spilling into his veins at an alarming rate. Adrenaline shuddered through his system and his hands started to shake at the sight before him and the chilling knowledge that left him with.

"Positive. I no longer have video feed, but she's there… What's wrong?" Nova asked, voice chilled. Her fear slid through the line and he knew how she felt. His terror was slowly solidifying in his gut and Steve started forward, steeling himself for what he was going to find. She was alive and she was fine. Evangeline was fine. He wouldn't accept another answer.

"There's smoke coming out of the room," Steve finally told her, ripping off his glove and pressing his hand against the metal door. He ripped it back a moment later, heat searing his skin.

Nova didn't say a word, but he could hear her breathing in his ear, slightly panicky breaths. Steve shut her out, taking three steps back, away from the door. His mind conjured up the worst images he could think of and he forced his own fears back, knowing what he was going to do even before he stopped walking when he was far enough away.

Evangeline was in there, bleeding and probably scared out of her mind, and she was alone. Alone and scared once again. He wasn't leaving her behind; it had never been an option and never would be an option, not to him. So Steve carefully checked the straps on his shield and yanked them tighter around his arm before he turned to face the door, clenching his jaw. Taking two powerful steps forward, Steve slammed into the door, shield first.

The hinges shattered and his shoulder cracked, pain sliding through him as the door gave way and he went barreling through it, smoke clouding his vision. Tears stung his eyes as he spun quickly, finding the table Evangeline had been strapped to as the smoke funneled out of the room.

A body lay on the floor near the door and Steve immediately crouched and eyed the person, relief gripping him when he realized the person with a knife sticking out of their forehead wasn't Evangeline. It was her brother. And Steve took a second look at the knife, recognizing it immediately. It was his. Which meant Evangeline had to have been there. No one else would be able to get one of his knives so easily, she had to have grabbed it before they left the Tower. Spinning, he faced the table, seeking her out with painful hope growing in his chest.

Evangeline wasn't there.

The cuffs were open and hanging useless and Steve had to take a deep, smoke filled breath to calm his immediate panic, striding toward the table she was supposed to be at. Blood. There was so much blood. A puddle on the ground that smeared away, red and sickly, still fresh against the metal floor. Steve followed the trail the few feet to the wall, his eyes seeking her out desperately.

There, in the corner, lay a person.

Steve bolted over and landed hard on his knees, shield clattering to the ground as he gently pressed a hand into Evangeline's hair. She was curled up like a cat in the corner, one hand pressed over her lips and nose, sleeve pulled up to block the smoke that was filling the room at a steady rate. Her eyes were closed and her body was limp, head resting against the floor. Her skin was ashen and Steve immediately felt out a pulse, finding what he was looking for a moment later. Soft, barely registering, but there.

The heat waved at them, sweat pouring from Steve's forehead. His hair was already matted with sweat and his uniform was soaked, the flames reaching higher the closer they got. The door was going to be full of flames soon and they'd have a hell of a time getting out of the room. He could walk through it, but Evangeline couldn't, not without getting hurt.

"Evangeline, doll, wake up," Steve begged, pushing her sweat soaked curls out of her face as gently as he knew how. Her entire body flinched when his fingers brushed her temple and Evangeline pressed herself back into the wall, eyes opening as she blindly held a hand up to protect herself from whomever was near her.

Ripping off the mask covering his face, Steve leaned down so she could see him clearly, taking her open hand into his gently, lacing their fingers together in a familiar hold. Her eyes flickered over his features before she seemed to register that he wasn't dangerous, her fingers tightening slightly on his when she realized who he was. Her grip was devastatingly weak and Steve clenched his jaw against any words, waiting for her to speak.

"What are you doing here?" she slurred, blinking rapidly to get the smoke out of her eyes. He noticed the tear streaks on her cheeks a moment later, running through the soot that was slowly starting to cover her.

"What, you thought I wouldn't come for you?" Steve asked, keeping his voice light as he reached out and slowly helped her sit up, her blood squelching against his fingers as he touched her arm. He grit his teeth at the sight of a gunshot wound on her shoulder, desperate not to scare her with his own emotions. That would have to be where the puddle of blood had come from; she was bleeding out rapidly. Not just from her shoulder, but from her thigh as well, where the knife had plunged in. "I couldn't leave my best girl, now could I?"

"You say that to all the girls," Eve murmured as Steve reached up to cup her cheek in his blood free hand, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone for a moment. She was alive and here, he would get her out. And Stark had the best healers on retainer, waiting for them. She would be fine.

"Only the pretty ones," Steve answered fondly, pressing his lips into her burning forehead after a moment. Pulling back, he took a deep breath and forced himself back into work mode. He had to get her out of the room before they both caught on fire. "We have to get out of here. I'm going to have to pick you up."

Steve wrapped an arm around her back, forcing himself not to think about hurting her as he scooped her into his lap, one leg limp against him. She whimpered, her good hand pressing into his chest right above his heart, which thrummed rapidly against her open palm with his own fears and insecurities.

"Steve… I'm cold…" His entire body tensed at the admission and Steve stared at her shoulder, which was bleeding heavily. Her thigh was bleeding as well and she was losing too much blood too quickly. He had to get her out of there and stop the bleeding. Swallowing hard, Steve pressed his lips into her forehead, ignoring the sweat and the grime that covered her.

"I'm going to get you out of here. You just have to hold on, alright, doll? Just hold on," he was practically begging and Steve ignored the shrieking agony in his shoulder as he scooped her up and stood, his entire body protesting her meager weight. The flames were getting higher and whoever had put her in that room made sure it would go up in smoke at the first sign of trouble. Fighting against his inherent instinct to shy away from the flames, Steve took one more look down at Evangeline, knowing that it was worth the pain to save her. "Evangeline, you know I love you, right?"

He practically choked on the words, wishing it was a different place, a different time. That he could do everything right. Instead, she was dying and he was broken and it was a cluster fuck. Her head tipped back, half lidded golden eyes staring up at him for a moment.

"Love you too," she whispered hoarsely. Steve nodded tightly and turned to face the fire. He could do this.

He stepped into the flames and prayed they'd make it out alive.


	62. Losing It

**Okay, so I super apologize because I totally forgot I was going on vacation this coming week and I won't be able to post on fanfiction. So this is the second to last chapter and again, so sorry! I don't know if I'll have internet at some point or not because we're camping, so it's kind of a play it by ear thing.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, I'm so happy everyone's enjoying it and hating my cliffhangers. There's another one because I kind of enjoy being evil… I can't believe it's almost over! It seems like just yesterday I was super nervous about posting this story online! I'm so happy that it's gotten so much attention and I can't wait to hear what you think for this chapter and the last one. I'll do my best to get the last one posted this week!**

Steve bit his lip as he stepped through the burning flames, arms tight around Evangeline as he walked. Her face was buried in the curve of his neck, one arm reached up to grip his suit in her small fist. Her fingers were covered in her own blood, dried and flaking against her alarmingly pale skin. Her sweat slicked hair was pushed out of her face and Steve kept up a steady pace, bursting through the door to the room they were stuck in with a grunt.

"Steve!" Natasha was suddenly before him, yanking him out of the flames. Her eyes were wide and worried, stuck on Evangeline's body in his arms. Steve knew the feeling. "What happened in there?"

"Don't know. She's bleeding out. We need an evac and a med team immediately," Steve croaked out, throat protesting in the wake of the smoke. His entire body felt far too heavy, but he just shook the feeling away. He could feel the pain later; right now, Evangeline needed him. And he needed to make sure she was going to live.

"Where's your shield?" Natasha asked suddenly, even as her hands flew to her belt, pulling out gauze and medical wrap. Steve stalked down the hall, away from the room he knew would haunt his nightmares for a long time. His long strides carried them away from the fire, right to Bucky. Bucky was standing at the end of the hall towards the front of the compound, long hair loose around his face and chest heaving. In his hands, two wicked knives were clenched, his knuckles white from how hard he was holding them. Blood smeared his hands and what Steve could see of his cheeks, blood that seemed to be from other people.

"Doesn't matter," Steve answered Natasha, eyes on Bucky. Slowly, oh so slowly, Bucky's head raised and his eyes stuck on Evangeline.

"It does matter. That shield is worth more than my life, Steve," Natasha snapped, reaching out to wrap gauze around Evangeline's shoulder. Her eyes opened, golden glints in her soot darkened face as she flinched away from Natasha's less than gentle touch. "I know it hurts, but we need to stop the bleeding. The medical team is close; we'll get you patched up soon."

Steve glanced sideways at his teammate. Natasha carefully wrapped Evangeline's shoulder while Evangeline watched on, blinking sleepily at the assassin tending her wounds.

"I'll get the shield," Bucky informed them in a clipped voice, stalking up to Steve and stopping for a moment to stare down at Evangeline. Steve tensed, unsure if his friend was there or if it was the Winter Soldier contemplating a kill. Evangeline sensed his gaze and looked up, using Steve's shoulder to hold her head up for her. It was the bruised shoulder, but Steve didn't make a sound, too relieved that she was awake to think too much of his own wounds.

"Hey, Serge," Evangeline slurred, lips tilting into a soft smile. Bucky's entire body tensed and he sucked in a breath that looked almost painful, a scowl painting his face in dangerous darkness.

Without a word, Bucky shouldered Steve out of the way and started toward the smoke, intent.

"He'll be all right," Steve promised Evangeline, unable to say the same about her. Her smile dimmed as she watched Bucky leave, eyes sliding to Steve's face after a moment. The golden glow he was so used to had dimmed to almost nothing, a dull brown that Steve knew he would grow to hate.

"I couldn't let him get captured," she explained, grimacing at the scratchy sound of her voice. Evangeline flinched again when Natasha moved to press gauze into her leg, her grip on Steve's uniform tightening for a moment.

"It's okay. Just keep quiet. You're going to hurt your throat," Steve demanded, knowing that his own voice sounded just as terrible.

"One of the Falsworths is trained with medical. We should get out there so they can take a look at her." Natasha informed Steve, graciously ignoring his blatant hypocrisy. Steve would thank her later, if everyone made it out of the facility alive. "She has some people waiting to make sure she's alive," she added as an afterthought.

"Renee," Evangeline murmured.

"What?" Steve asked, unsure of what she was talking about.

"Renee has medical training. SHIELD first response unit, five years. She's retired now," Evangeline hummed, eyes falling closed. Steve started moving as soon as she finished talking, content knowing that she trusted the person who was going to be working on her. His heart stuttered when she didn't open her eyes again, her fingers going limp against his chest.

"She's passed out; we're bringing her out the front. Be ready with medical. The quinjet better be on its way in," Natasha snapped into her comms, voice low and dangerous. Steve agreed with that sentiment.

They were near a run when Bucky caught up, snapping the shield onto Steve's back without breaking stride. The heat from the metal warmed Steve's back and he glanced sideways at his best friend, wondering when it had all gone so wrong. Bucky had promised to take care of Evangeline and now she was hurt, bleeding out in Steve's arms. The gauze around her shoulder was darkening with new blood and she was unconscious, breathing shallowly.

He didn't say a word to Bucky, unsure what to say. He wasn't renouncing his best friend; he loved Bucky. But the anger was still ripe and Steve grit his teeth to keep it all in. Hurting his friend wouldn't help Evangeline, no matter what his anger told him.

"There!" Natasha barked, practically shoving Steve in front of her. He vaulted the stairs that led to the ground floor, not breaking stride as he bolted out the front door at top speed, immediately surrounded by Nova's team. They were all trying to get a look and, from the looks on their faces, he knew it wasn't good.

"Everyone move back! Now!" a now-familiar voice hollered. Slowly, he was given room and a woman with a stethoscope around her neck made the way to the middle of the clearing, Mags Maddox at her side. "This is Renee Falsworth, she'll be looking Evangeline over until the quinjet arrives. You can lay her down, Captain. We'll take care of her. She's one of ours."

Steve growled wordlessly and took a step backward, unwilling to set Evangeline down. Setting her down could mean losing sight of her and he wasn't letting that happen for a good long time after this latest debacle.

"Steve, you have to put her down. You don't have to leave her, but you have to let the lady take a look," Natasha reminded him in a firm voice. Steve shot her a glare, but carefully lowered himself to the ground. Relief stretched through his body as he laid Evangeline out, the weight off of his torn shoulder. He pet Evangeline's dark curls out of her face, swallowing thickly as the adrenaline started to drain and the realization of what could have happened, what could happen now, weighed on his chest. It felt like his lungs were constricting and Steve sucked in a deep breath of the clean forest air to compensate.

"Smoke inhalation is probably the most dangerous right now, right up there with the shot to her shoulder. It's still bleeding. I wrapped it up, but didn't have time to do much more. She was stabbed in the thigh and there's bruising by the cut on her right cheekbone," Natasha listed off quickly, kneeling beside the woman who would be saving Evangeline's life.

"There should be a portable oxygen tank in my bag, Maggie!" the woman called out. Another woman, one that looked remarkably like Nova, burst through the circle and dropped down near the other woman, handing her a large black bag. Instead of backing off right away, the woman, Maggie, reached up and cupped Evangeline's cheek in manicured fingers.

"You're going to be fine, Evie. We're not going to leave until you are," Maggie promised before pushing back to her feet and backing up quickly. A man Steve determined to be her son wrapped an arm around her shoulder solemnly, watching the scene unfold while Steve turned his attention back to Evangeline, determined to be there for her, no matter what that meant now.

The paramedic pulled out a series of tubes and a small tank, and started hooking Evangeline up to it quickly and efficiently. Steve watched carefully as she worked, the blood on his own hands repulsing him. It was all Evangeline's. He hadn't touched his own wounds and the men he fought died without blood splatter. All he wanted was to wash her blood of his hands and for Evangeline to wake up.

"Okay, hang in there, kiddo. We're going to get you back to the Tower; best medical bay in the country at this point. Just have to steady your vitals is all," murmured the woman, squeezing Evangeline's hand affectionately before slowly peeling the gauze away from her shoulder.

Evangeline groaned, bolting upright. Steve caught her before she could go far, gently pinning her arms to the ground as he lowered her into his lap. Her eyes immediately found his and Steve forced himself to smile, knowing it came out as more of a grimace when her panic intensified. Her arms moved against his grip and Steve softened his own hold, letting her arms go so that he could hold her head in place.

Leaning over her, Steve made sure that she was the only thing he could see for the time being, fingers lightly brushing her temples while she calmed enough for the other woman to keep working.

"Evangeline, a woman named Renee Falsworth is working on you right now. She's a trained paramedic. You know her," Steve reminded her, speaking slowly and softly. He kept the conversation for her ears only, knowing that the entire clan was watching them carefully, waiting for him to fuck this up and lose her. He waited to keep going until Evangeline nodded slightly, acknowledging that she understood him. "She's going to slow the bleeding and take care of you. There's a medical team coming, but they aren't here yet."

Someone behind him made a noise and there was a chorus of shushing that ran through the crowd. Steve would have laughed if his heart wasn't breaking at the sight of Evangeline, broken before him.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I love you too much," he promised, leaning down to press his lips into her forehead. She was freezing to the touch and he felt a bolt of uncertainty for the first time since getting her to the group. What if she didn't live now? What if he was forced to watch her die right in front of him, when he could do nothing to help her?

Her mouth moved and Steve read the words straight off of her lips, his own heart stuttering. 'Love you.'

"Just stay with me, doll. Stay with me," he begged, fingers sliding into her hair. Evangeline's eyes started to slip closed and Steve sucked in a much needed breath, panic sliding through them. He knew deep in his bones that, if he let her close her eyes now, it would be the last time he got to see her. "Evangeline, stay awake. You can do it, baby, please stay awake. Doll? Evangeline?"

"We're losing her!"


	63. New Beginnings

**Okay, everyone, I got the internet for a night, so I'm posting now. This is the last chapter and I think I might cry because it's been such a fun run. Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, reviewed, and just read because it's so cool that people like the story. There's going to be a special announcement at the end of the chapter, so please read it! Enjoy the last chapter and let me know what you think of the story and this last chapter. Thank you for reading!**

Steve grit his teeth as he moved down the hallway, rubbing at his bruised shoulder. It wasn't healing as fast as he'd hoped and, with everything that happened in the last couple of days, he wasn't sure he wanted it to. The memories were sharp in his mind, especially brutal after all the nights spent alone. Sometimes he swore he could smell the smoke tinging the air, the copper scent of blood swirling in the middle of the chaos and stinging his nose.

Frowning deeply, he sidestepped one of Stark's nurses, his eyes coming up to find Bucky seated outside one of the hospital rooms. His back was ramrod straight and his eyes were staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Bucky's grief had been worse than the rest of them. He blamed himself the most, even more than Steve most days. Steve had tried to talk to him, to get him to open up about his pain, but Bucky wouldn't speak to anyone.

His head snapped up when Steve got too close, dark eyes ringed in bruises that belied his lack of sleep. Steve understood the concept, but wished that Bucky would take even a small nap. It had been almost a week since the HYDRA facility and Bucky had yet to go back to his room, barely sleeping. Instead, he sat in silent vigilance outside the hospital room, waiting for the danger he was sure would come.

Steve nodded to his friend and Bucky nodded back, allowing him entrance to the room with silent agreement. Steve took a deep breath to brace himself, starting through the door while straightening his shoulders and forcing himself to hide the pain he was still experiencing.

"You're here! Great, tell her we're not watching _The Notebook_ again!" Nova hollered at the top of her lungs. Steve blinked slowly at the woman before him, wondering if she ever stopped talking.

"Steve, tell her I can choose whatever I want because I'm the one who almost died and this is my hospital room," Evangeline demanded, wide golden eyes snapping to his face. Steve softened as soon as he saw Evangeline, alive and healing, in her hospital bed. Taking long strides toward her, he dropped a kiss on her lips before acknowledging her best friend.

"Evangeline gets to pick what to watch. You know the rules," Steve reminded her. Nova groaned and shoved her face into a pillow, cursing him out. Steve had actually grown to like Nova, especially after she'd flipped and punched Maria Hill in the face when Hill had had the gall to suggest that Evangeline's wounds were necessities of war. Hill had a nice black eye afterward and Nova had his never-ending regard. It helped that she watched Evangeline when he couldn't be there, constantly at her side. Nova gave them plenty of time alone, but she also made sure to check in at least twice a day to allow Steve time to shower, change, and nap. She'd been a great friend to Evangeline and an amazing ally to Steve himself.

"But I've watched the Notebook three times in two days, Cap. I don't think I can take it again," Nova complained, hopping to her feet nimbly. "I'm going to go check on Tony. If you're going to watch that again, you can watch it with your boyfriend."

"I'll see you soon, Nova," Evangeline waved at her friend as she burst out of the hospital room with a grin on her lips.

"I'll be back, my favorite creepy assassin man," Nova cheerfully informed Bucky. Steve was kind of surprised that Bucky hadn't killed the woman yet, but he was surprisingly wan about her visits. He let her in and out without complaint and even put up with her increasingly ridiculous nicknames for him.

"How are you?" Steve asked as soon as the door shut behind Nova, turning to Evangeline seriously. Dark circles ringed her eyes and she still had multiple bruises on her face. Not to mention her arm was in a sling and she couldn't move her leg. There wasn't lasting damage besides the scars that would linger forever, but Steve worried endlessly about her. He knew she was probably having nightmares, but Stark had finally gotten Mags Maddox to kick him out at night, so he couldn't even be there for her while she fought the memories.

"I'm doped up on various pain medication, but I'm really happy to see you. I missed you," she informed him, reaching out for his hand. Steve laced his fingers in hers and held tightly enough to remind her that he was there, eyes tracing the telltale bulge of bandages beneath her clothing. It pained him to see, but he needed to look. Not just to make sure she was all right, but to remind himself about what happened. So that he remembered why he was taking her away from here as soon as she was healed.

"I've missed you too," Steve informed her, bringing her hand up to his lips so he could press a kiss against her chilled fingers. She smiled at him, golden eyes seeming to glow.

"You should sit with me," Evangeline told him, pulling her hand out of his hold and starting to fight through the various tubes and wires that were hooked up to her. Steve was on his feet in an instant, gently stopping her from moving her arms so that he could untangle the two wires she'd managed to get tied up in.

"I am sitting with you," he reminded her, letting her go once she was free. She still struggled to scoot over on the bed, leaving enough room for someone else to sit with her. Steve almost smacked his forehead when he figured out what she really wanted.

"No, sit on the bed with me. Please?" She looked up at him with wide, unblinking eyes and he sighed, carefully moving to climb onto the bed with her. Like he would be able to resist her when she was giving him that look. Not just the big eyes and small frown, but the clear pleading on her face. He was no saint and he needed to be close to her just as much as she needed him close.

Making sure he didn't tangle in her wires or IV, Steve made himself comfortable, smiling when Evangeline did her best to curl into him, her good hand fisting in his shirt.

"You know, Mags is going to kill me if she finds out I let you move. You're supposed to be resting," Steve reminded Evangeline, who hummed as she relaxed against him. It was the most relaxed he'd seen her since she'd come out of surgery for her shoulder and he leaned down to press his lips into her forehead, reassured when he found that her temperature was cooled to a normal human's temperature. The first few days she'd had a fever and chills, scaring all of them into waiting outside her hospital room door.

"Mama Mags doesn't need to know," Evangeline informed him, looking up and pressing her lips into his jaw. Steve tilted his head down to capture her lips with his, carefully kissing her as thoroughly as he could without hurting either of them. Evangeline ran her tongue along his gently and nibbled at his bottom lip, smiling into his kisses.

"I find out everything, my dear." Steve jerked back, almost falling off the side of the bed when his head snapped around and he was left staring at Mags Maddox. Honestly, the woman was the most motherly person he'd met in this lifetime. In some maternal way, she reminded him of his mother. Which was why he hated getting caught doing stupid shit in front of her. Like making out with Evangeline when she was supposed to be resting and healing. "I have a sixth sense, you see. I know when my children are doing something stupid."

"I'm not doing anything stupid," Evangeline answered, obviously not too disturbed as she reached out to grab Steve's hand again, effectively keeping him in the bed with her as she curled up, one leg straight and her wounded arm curled into her chest as she rested her head against Steve's shoulder.

"That depends on who you're asking. But that isn't why I'm here," Mags informed them, holding up a file of papers before handing them to Steve. "You are aware that Evangeline can't be moved for a few weeks yet, aren't you?"

Steve opened the file and stared at the accrued information, surprised that she'd managed to compile his entire flight itinerary. It was a very vague flight request, from the Tower to Europe, possibly South America. There was no specific destination, but the list he'd been thinking of was on the bottom of the sheet. There were even requests for the cloaking mechanisms to be turned on during the flight.

"I am aware," Steve forced out between clenched teeth. He felt Evangeline's grip on his hand loosen as she took in the compiled file, reading the information laid out and drawing all the wrong conclusions. Looking up, Steve sent Mags a dirty look, not caring that he regarded her fairly fondly, in the scheme of things. She obviously realized that he hadn't spoken with Evangeline about leaving after watching them for a moment, one eyebrow arching up curiously.

"One of my sources approached me with those yesterday. I assume you have a plan, Captain?" Mags offered, raising her chin defiantly.

"Yes, I do," Steve managed, wishing she would leave. After a moment staring him down, Mags nodded sharply and left, sweeping out of the room without another word, the door sliding shut behind her. Steve quickly turned to Evangeline, who was already watching him with wide, guarded eyes. He knew she'd taken it the wrong way, but it hurt to see her pulling away so quickly from him without seeming to need an explanation. He wondered, not for the first time, who the hell had hurt her so badly before he'd met her.

"You're leaving." It left her mouth as a soft whisper and he could practically hear her heart breaking. He wasn't having that.

"I'm not leaving without you," Steve firmly stated, staring her straight in the eye and reaching out to cup her chin in his palm. She let him, still obviously wary as he dug to find the words to tell her what he needed to. "After what happened with HYDRA, I started thinking about the best ways to keep you safe. I was going to ask you about it when you were feeling better. These are just tentative flight plans, things I've been talking over with Stark."

"What were you going to ask me?" she asked, still watching him carefully.

"Come with me. Once you're feeling better, of course. We can go anywhere in the world you want to go, I promise. Let's just leave for a while, be safe while we heal," Steve practically begged. He wouldn't leave if she didn't want to. He wasn't letting her go, not in this lifetime. And he wasn't going to let her stay in the Tower alone, if that was what she chose. He would always have her back if she needed it.

"You want me to go on vacation with you?" Evangeline clarified, her nose wrinkling. Steve ran his thumb gently along the ridges and smoothed out her expression for her.

"I want you to come with me. Not just a vacation. We can travel the world. Wherever you've wanted to go since you were a little girl, I'll take you there. It's just too dangerous here," Steve reminded her, carefully turning so that he was facing her on the bed, her back rested against the plethora of pillows Nova had brought her.

"What about the Avengers? And my job? And Nova? And James?" Evangeline started firing out questions and Steve almost slumped with relief. If she was trying to figure everything out, that meant she was thinking of going with him. Planning was her forte, and he was remiss to think that she would let that go to run away with him.

"The Avengers can have a direct line to us, just like Nova and Bucky. If they need help, I'll come back and help them. But they have more and more help lately and they'll be able to function while we're away. Your boss tried to throw you into an undercover operation when she was about ninety percent sure you wouldn't live through it. Mags already warned Maria that you might not be coming back, at least for a while. And we can meet Nova and James in various places, see them for a little while when we're passing through somewhere," Steve insisted, reaching out and taking Evangeline's small hand in his. She let him, her fingers tapping on the back of his hand while she thought it all through.

"You're terrible at planning. You'll get bored with just me around. Not only that, but I always travel with a schedule. When Nova's family took Elise and me to Disney World, I insisted we make an itinerary for the trip. You'll hate me by the time the vacation is done," Evangeline started shaking her head and Steve leaned down pressing their foreheads together so that he could look her right in the eye. Taking a deep breath of her scent, Steve relaxed a little and pressed a kiss to her nose.

"I am terrible at planning things. But I won't get bored with you. Schedules can help with things. Especially things like large amusement parks with no clear rally points. But I could never hate you," he promised, leaning down to press kisses into her cheeks. Evangeline wiggled a little, a smile growing on her lips. "I happen to love you too much, doll."

He kissed her on the lips as soon as the words were out of his mouth, her lips warm and familiar against his own. She let his hand go and slid her fingers through his hair, pulling him down more firmly before she was pulling back. Steve let out a tiny whimper at the loss of her lips on his before her lips were pressing to any skin she could reach. His nose, his cheeks, his chin, his neck, his collarbone, and all the way back up.

"You're a pain in the ass, Captain," she started, opened mouthed kisses left on the corners of his mouth that he desperately tried to turn into only to find her gone again. "But I do love that you're my pain in the ass."

"Is that a yes? Will you go with me?" he asked, pulling back to eye her curiously.

"So long as we stop at the Parthenon first," she demanded. Steve relaxed and lay next to her, pulling her on top of him carefully. He was pretty sure that was against the rules, but he was too busy finding her lips and pressing his own against them to care. Her warm breath mingled with his and he was pretty sure heaven would feel a lot like having Evangeline in his arms, safe and sound.

"I think I can manage that."

The End

 **SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:**

 **The sequel of this story is officially going to be called Supernova. It's a Bucky/OC and the OC is Nova Maddox. I'm still not positive when I'm going to start posting, but keep an eye out if you're interested! Thank you for reading and hopefully I'll hear from some of you when the sequel comes out! (P.S. Steve and Evangeline will definitely make an appearance in Supernova.)**


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